By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes experienced an intense and competitive weekend in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) action at home and on the road, including a perfect two days for the basketball teams and a 4-for-4 Sunday.
Here’s what’s happened between Friday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 17.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes split both of their games this past weekend, starting it off with a 3-1 loss at home against the Mount Allison Mounties on Friday and ending it with a 3-1 away game win against the Universite de Saint-Anne Dragons on Sunday.
In Friday’s match at the McMillan Centre, the Hurricanes had a fantastic start, jumping out to a 7-1 lead in the first set ahead of a Mounties timeout. Mount Allison was able to salvage a few points but was completely dominated the rest of the way as Holland won the set 25-10. In the second set, the match went from an all-Hurricanes frenzy to an all-out war, with each team exchanging points for nearly 20 minutes. Eventually, a timeout was called by Hurricanes coach Craig Hoskins with his team down 20-18; the Mounties would then call a timeout when the score was brought to 21-20 in favour of Mount Allison. Holland managed to tie the game 23-23 but two big kills by the Mounties gave them a 25-23 set win.
The third set saw more point-exchanging until the Hurricanes called a timeout while down 23-19, which was unsuccessful as Mount Allison won 25-20. In the fourth and final set, Holland kept the score close but couldn’t find any luck to bring the score to a tie or give themselves a lead. That was until, with Mount Allison up 23-22, the Hurricanes called a timeout and were able to tie things up. The tie was shortlived as the Mounties pulled off two successful sequences to claim the overall game victory.
In Sunday’s match in Pointe-de-l’Eglise, N.S., things remained even to start the game, with Holland edging ahead 18-15 before a Dragons timeout. The timeout went against USTA as the Hurricanes surged to a 25-18 first set win. The Dragons had a great start in the second set, jumping out to a 6-2 lead, but Holland crawled their way back to tie the score 9-9 and later took a 14-11 lead ahead of another Dragons timeout. After a few more timeouts and another short Hurricanes surge, both teams found themselves at a 22-22 tie, and it was USTA who came out of the set with a 25-22 win.
The third set had a similar pattern to the previous one; Holland jumped out to a 7-2 lead and USTA attempted a comeback rally but had nothing left in the tank by the time the Hurricanes took an 18-12 lead and eventually went on to win the set 25-14. The fourth and final set was USTA’s worst nightmare, as Holland went on an 11-point run to start. While the Dragons were able to put 12 on the board, the Hurricanes easily cruised to a set and overall game win.
Standout players from the weekend include fourth-year left-sides Morgan White (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) and Jenna O’Neill (Cornwall, P.E.I.), fourth-year middle Myah Utrosa (Brooklin, Ontario), third-year right-side Charlotte Sweetapple (Corner Brook, NL), and second-year setter Hannah Power (Corner Brook, NL).
The Hurricanes dropped to 4-2 after Friday’s game but improved to 5-2 after Sunday’s game, which puts them in a tie with the Mount Allison Mounties for second in the conference, two points behind the UNBSJ Seawolves. Ironically, Holland will play both teams next weekend, starting with a rematch against Mount Allison in Sackville, N.B. on Saturday, Nov. 23, and ending with a crucial battle against UNBSJ in Saint John, N.B. on Sunday, Nov. 24.
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Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball Hurricanes came out of their road trip doubleheader against the league-leading USTA Dragons with an even split, losing a straight-set match on Saturday and finding redemption on Sunday with a shocking reverse victory, this time in five-sets.
On Saturday, things initially started even, but the Dragons quickly took control of the court with a much more skilled and dominating performance, leading by scores of 9-4, 13-7, and 18-8 whilst the Hurricanes called two timeouts. USTA took the first set 25-13 and went up 7-2 in the second set ahead of Holland’s third timeout of the game. The Hurricanes were able to close the gap to three points at 16-13 ahead of a Dragons timeout.
USTA called yet another timeout while leading 21-19, and that’s what was able to give them enough momentum for a 25-21 set win. The third set was a heated one as neither team could dominate over the other. Timeouts were called from each side with 13-12, 20-18, and 22-21 scores, all in favour of the Dragons, but still, nothing could be solved. Extra points would be required, and although Holland pushed ahead 27-26 at one point, an incredible clutch performance of three consecutive points by USTA (29-27) sealed the deal for a straight-set victory.
On Sunday, a much grittier and dynamic Hurricanes squad came to play, and while they would come out on top, it was done in dramatic fashion. Sets one and two saw nail-biting action from both sides, but it was the Dragons who squeezed their way to a 25-18 first-set win, and, later, an easier 25-15 second-set win. Sets three and four showed true determination and resilience out of the Hurricanes, who, knowing what was at stake, barely took home back-to-back set wins to force a fifth and extra set.
Holland jumped out to an 8-2 lead before switching sides and extended it to 11-6 ahead of a Dragons timeout. It wouldn’t be enough for USTA to find a miracle, and Holland’s third win of the season led to the Dragons recording their first loss of the season, ending a seven-game winning streak. It was also USTA’s first home game loss since Nov. 2021, ironically against the Hurricanes.
Third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) had yet another dominant weekend, this time recording a total of 29 kills, 12 digs, and seven service aces across two games. Other notable standouts included second-year middle Brett MacAusland (Summerside, P.E.I.), who recorded a total of 15 kills and two digs, and rookie right-side Lucas Lavigne (Bathurst, N.B.), who recorded a total of 15 kills and five digs.
The Hurricanes dropped to 3-4 after Saturday’s game, which put them at four losses in their last five games, but they improved to 4-4 and now have two wins in their last three games and are sitting third in the conference, two points behind STU and two points ahead of UNBSJ.
While the women’s volleyball team will play UNBSJ just once next weekend, the men’s team will play them twice in a two-day doubleheader in Saint John, N.B. on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24. The men’s Seawolves are 3-4 but came out of the recent weekend (which they headed into with a 1-4 record) with back-to-back wins against Crandall.
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Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes extended their winning streak to three with back-to-back away game wins in New Brunswick on Friday and Sunday.
On Friday, Holland visited the winless Crandall University Chargers in Moncton, N.B. The first quarter featured intense competition from each side at the start, but the Hurricanes slowly pulled ahead, finding themselves up 19-8, and using that momentum to lead 22-15 at the buzzer. The Chargers made things closer in the second quarter, only being outscored by three points, but were still down by 10 at halftime. Despite outscoring Holland by one in the third quarter, the Hurricanes exploded in the fourth and final quarter with 34 points versus Crandall’s 16, playing with great intensity, which rewarded them with an 83-56 game win.
On Sunday, Holland visited the Mount Allison Mounties in Sackville, N.B. While the match started relatively easy for the Hurricanes, with a 16-12 lead after one quarter and a 43-21 lead at halftime, they were nearly thwarted by a second-half comeback attempt by Mount Allison. The Mounties came as close as two possessions but weren’t able to close the gap to any closer than seven points at the final buzzer, ultimately losing to Holland 65-58.
The momentum from being named the most recent Hurricanes Female Athlete of the Week proved strong for third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia), who led the team in both games with a total of 34 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, six steals, and five blocks. Other strong performances from the weekend came from players like fifth-year forward Alexa Rancourt (New Dominion, P.E.I.), who recorded 29 points and 15 rebounds, and fourth-year guard Amy Plaggenhoef (Stratford, P.E.I.), who contributed 28 points.
The team’s successful weekend, which improved them to 4-1, has led them to a tie in the conference lead with MSVU and Mount Allison at eight points each. Holland will be in for a heck of a road trip doubleheader next weekend, as they will visit the MSVU Mystics in Halifax, N.S. on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24. After losing 79-68 to them at the McMillan Centre earlier this month, the Hurricanes are eager to brew a storm of well-sought revenge.
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Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes got exactly what they needed in a perfect weekend road trip after tough back-to-back home-game losses in past weeks.
On Friday, Holland visited the Crandall University Chargers in Moncton, N.B., who entered the game on a high with a three-game winning streak. The game would be one of the most intense since the season started, as both teams fired point after point at each other. While the Chargers barely led after the first quarter (24-22), the Hurricanes skidded ahead 40-39 by halftime. A tied third quarter saw the score get to 56-55 in favour of Holland. In the fourth and final quarter, things still remained tight, but a series of three-pointers in the final moments sealed the deal for a hard-fought 79-71 Hurricanes victory.
On Sunday, Holland visited the Mount Allison Mounties in Sackville, N.B. After breaking their tie with the Mounties in the standings thanks to their win on Friday, they looked to pull even further ahead with another win, and they would be rewarded thanks to an improved effort. Holland began the game with a seven-point lead and eventually led 20-13 after one quarter. While the match became more even in the second quarter, the Hurricanes remained ahead 40-32. A stellar individual performance by fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.), which included 11 points in the third quarter alone, helped Holland get out to a 64-45 lead at the next buzzer. Despite the Mounties outscoring the Hurricanes 24-19 in the fourth quarter, it wouldn’t be enough to catch Holland, who walked away with an 83-69 game win.
Corless led the team in both games, recording a total of 39 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists. After not playing on Friday, second-year guard Jaidon Martin (Toronto, Ontario) returned to the court on Sunday and shined with a 14-point effort.
The two wins improved the Hurricanes to a 3-2 record, which has them tied with three other teams for second in the conference with six points each, trailing MSVU by four points. The men will join the women next weekend with their own doubleheader against the MSVU Mystics in Halifax, N.S. on Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24. The men also face an opportunity to claim redemption as they also lost to MSVU earlier in the month at the McMillan Centre 104-92.
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