(HALIFAX, NS) The UNB REDS upset the U SPORTS No. 9 ranked Saint Mary's Huskies on Saturday afternoon in a five-set marathon.
UNB won with scores of 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 21-25 and 15-11.
"I felt we played tough throughout the match and responded well when things didn't go our way," said REDS head coach Richard Schick. "We had our share of really good plays and smart decisions, but also had some major blunders at key times that could have turned the tide of the match in Saint Mary's favour. We didn't let those miscues affect us and we played extremely composed to finish the match off."
It was the first match between the two sides since UNB's 3-1 win over the Huskies on November 21st.
Saint Mary's got off to a strong start, as they took a commanding 10-3 lead early, highlighted by back-to-back service aces by third year middle Mariama Syll (Charters Settlement, NB), and a pair of kills by third year all-star Olivia Bell (Lahave, NS).
A kill by Syll gave the Huskies a 16-7 lead heading into the technical timeout. Coming out of the break, the REDS went on a run, highlighted by four straight points to cut the Huskies lead to one, at 23-22, before the Huskies were able to finish off the first set 25-22.
The REDS momentum continued into the second set, with strong play by Kristen Burns (Mississauga, ON) and Emma Burns (Fredericton, NB), giving their team an early 6-2 lead. Saint Mary's was able to come back and the two teams exchanged leads with the Huskies taking a 16-15 advantage at the technical timeout.
With the score tied at 18-18, REDS hitter Bailey Lemieux (Fredericton, NB) went on an impressive serving run of five straight points, including one service ace, before middle Isla Olesen (Calgary, AB) capped off the set with a big block to give the REDS a 25-19 second set win, to tie the match at a set a piece.
The REDS continued their strong play to begin the third set, with a Kristen Burns kill giving her team a 16-10 lead at the technical timeout. Saint Mary's was able to cut that lead to 22-19, but back-to-back kills by Burns helped the REDS win the set 25-21 and give them a 2-1 set lead.
In a must win fourth set, the Huskies got off to a strong start, as first-year Nada Hassanin (Cairo, Egypt) helping them take a 16-10 lead into the technical timeout. The REDS battled back to cut the lead to 21-20, but back-to-back kills by Bethany Smith (Moncton, NB) helped the Huskies regain control, before Bell finished the set with a kill to give the Huskies a 25-21 win and force a decisive fifth set.
The fifth looked to be more of the same, with the teams trading points for an early score of 4-4 before the REDS took over led by Kristen Burns, who finished the fifth set with four kills and a service ace, and a kill by Sonya Nielsen (Delia, AB) was the final blow, as the REDS defeated the Huskies 15-11, to take the match 3-2.
"We're not the biggest team, we're not the most powerful team," said Schick. "We try our best to focus on the things we have control of... our work-ethic, our effort and our dedication to this team and each other. Then we try to play volleyball.
REDS setter Catherine Burns (Fredericton, NB) was named Subway Player of the Game with a match-high 47 assists and 12 digs. Kristen Burns led all scorers with 19 points, including 17 kills, nine digs and a service ace, while Nielsen chipped in 14 kills of her own. Libero Katelyn Chapman (Indian Mountain, NB) also had a strong game, tying for the game-high with 19 digs.
The Huskies were led by Bell with 15 kills and nine digs, while Smith posted 10 kills, three solo blocks and two aces.
The REDS win was their third straight and improved their record to 7-and-5, heading into their next match, Saturday, February 26, at Université de Moncton.
The Huskies loss dropped their record to 8-and-2. They remain atop the AUS standings heading into Sunday's game against Acadia at 2:00pm.
RECAP BY: Allan April/SMU Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Nick Pearce/for SMU Athletics