By: Shannon Blackmore, BA'19
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The St. Thomas University Tommies ended the 2017-2018 season with a series of accomplishments under their belt—a regular season win over the undefeated MSVU Mystics, qualifying for the conference final for the first time since 2013, and taking home the ACAA silver medal.
With a relatively young roster—13 of 16 players are in first or second year—head coach Don McKay was pleased with the team's growth over the season.
"The whole year had steady progress, which is what we wanted. They supported each other on and off the court, and played hard every game. There was tremendous growth for everyone."
Although they didn't claim gold in the ACAA final, the Tommies earned other victories throughout the season.
"Beating Holland College in the semifinal was a big one for us, because we played them the weekend before and lost 3-2," McKay said.
McKay noted this year's team was especially dedicated. Even after a loss in the championship final, every member of the Tommies women's volleyball team—including graduates that would not be returning—showed up for the end-of-season training session at Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
The Tommies will lose Deidra Jones, Claire Richard, and Veronique McGrath from this year's roster, but have some solid pieces coming in to bolster next year's lineup. McKay is looking forward to the coming volleyball season and exploring the talent the future Tommies have to offer.