Fredericton, NB - The Lady Beaverbrook Gym was packed for the semifinal matchup between the St. Thomas University Tommies and the visiting Holland College Hurricanes, in both team's first playoff game of the ACAA Championships. St. Thomas beat Holland in straight sets (25-19, 25-12, 25-16), though the Hurricanes didn't make their win easy.

Both teams had a handful of unforced errors in the first set, with Tommies head coach, Henri Mallet, noting that both teams had a bit of a shaky start. It was back and forth for the first couple of points, with missed serves by the Tommies keeping their lead small. Once up 11-7, the Tommies called a timeout and reset to get six of the next ten points, giving STU a bit of a cushion nearing the end of the set. Holland College remained steady, though, with a huge block that would make it 19-15 for STU. Setter Henry Doucet (Truro, NS) followed up with an equally impressive block and the Tommies would eventually take the first set 25-19.

Following the first set, Coach Mallet remarked that the team showed great energy, adding that the missing piece was the first contact, needing consistency in both serving and passing. STU's energy continued in the second set, where they took an 11-4 lead following an ace from Adam McDougall (Calgary, AB). A block by Garret Dickson (Miramichi, NB), who led the Tommies in kills with nine, gave STU a 15-6 lead. Luke Hyde, the ACAA Rookie of the Year, stepped up for the Hurricanes with a big kill, but McDougall followed up with a great hit to bring the score to 19-8 for the Tommies. First year Alex Frederickson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) subbed in for STU, saying "you could feel the energy in the air as everyone knew how important this game was."

Rookie Kevin Douglas (Surrey, BC), who helped STU to an 11-4 lead early in the third set, says the atmosphere was great, notably the energy from the fans, and that "the noise definitely set it apart from a regular game." After a shaky first set, Douglas says the main goal was simply to "clean up the play on our side and continue to push." Some entertaining rallies ensued in the third set, including an impressive save by Brendan Murphy (Fredericton, NB) to maintain the team's lead at 12-9. Dickson followed up a tip with an absolute bomb of a kill, helping the Tommies to an eventual 25-16 win in the third and final set.

Murphy had the most digs with seven, while Nathan Baker of Holland College led his team with five. Hyde had nine of Holland's 19 kills, while Gustavo Lobato (Aracaju, BRA) followed Dickson's nine kills with seven. The Tommies advance to the ACAA finals, where they will host the winner of the UNBSJ Seawolves versus the USA Dragons semifinal in a best of three final series.

Recap: Martina Barclay

Photo: SRM Photography