HAWKS SWEEP MSVU & ADVANCE TO NATIONAL SEMI FINAL
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mount Saint Vincent (0-1, 0-0) | 23 | 22 | 21 | 0 |
|
Humber (1-0, 0-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI: The Humber Hawks defeated the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-21) in the CCAA Women's Volleyball National Championship quarterfinal on Thursday afternoon, and have advanced to the national semi-final on Friday night at 5:00 pm EST.
Humber will now await the winner of the Briercrest (ACAC) vs VIU (PACWEST) game, which had a 2:00 pm EST start.
After a glitzy pre-game light show, the two teams got to work. Both squads struggled at points, especially from the service line. The Hawks and Mystics combined for 14 missed serves, with Humber contributing 8 missed attempts. Humber was behind most of the match, and trailed 24-23 late in the set. The Hawks were able to side-out to tie the set, and then win it by way of back-to-back aces.
The second set was much of the same, with 13 service aces being the story. The Hawks once again led the way, with 9 misses. The difference was it was the Humber team in control almost the entire match, before closing it out at 25-22. A threesome of Hawks took over the match in the second set, as outside hitter Kelsey Kovar, middle Alexandra Newman and libero Deborah Mitchell were outstanding.
The Mystics refused to lie down and burst out in front in the third set, and took a 5-0 lead before the Hawks could answer. In fact, the Mystics held considerable leads at many points in the game, including a 15-10 lead more than halfway through the set. What may have been the turning point may have been the entrance of Ashleigh Darrach off the bench to pull Humber even at 15. She served tough and threw in a well-timed dig.
If the Darrach contribution was the turning point, then a block a booming kill by Alexandra Newman was the cherry on top. Newman powered a ball straight down after a flubbed service reception by a Mystic player. At 24-20, Humber served out, but they responded right away with a huge kill by Thalia Hanniman to end the set and the match.
"We were pleased with the victory", said Hawks head coach Chris Wilkins. "Anytime you can get a tournament opening win is a good thing, especially when this win advances to a national semi-final".
Hawk fifth year star Deborah Mitchell, who contributed 12 digs, was the Humber Player of the Game.
Alexandra Newman led the team offensively, as she chipped in with 7 kills and 2 service aces for a total of 9 points. Devan O'Connor led the team in kills, with 8 and added a block assist for a mark of 8.5 points in the match. Kelsey Kovar matched Newman in aces, with 2, and also added 5 kills.
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