HALIFAX, NS – The Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues (2-4) won a dramatic, swingy contest over the Saint Mary’s Huskies (4-2) on Friday night at the Homburg Centre. Player of the Game, Aigles Bleues left side Anne Paquette (Baie Saint-Anne, NB), was dominant throughout, providing 13 kills, 13 digs, and 4 blocks, while middle Kyana Sivret (Rivière-à-la-Truite, NB) provided decisive performance in the final frame with devastating serves.
The opening set of extended runs, aces, and drama foreshadowed a thriller. Early in the set, Aigles Bleues middle Sophie Hedou (Edmunston, NB) found a gap in the middle, one of several pinpoint dumps for kills throughout the match. Huskies left side Emilia Mikanovich (Minsk, Belarus) had the first of several points where her initial spike was dug by outside hitter Emily Robichaud (Dieppe, NB) but converted the second opportunity, this time to even the score at 2-2. Huskies setter Taylor Lougheed (Calgary, AB) followed up with an assist to right side Megan Bruhm (Hubley, NS) for a crosscourt smash, and Aigles Bleues called timeout after a double block by left side Olivia Bell (LaHave Islands, NS) and middle Alena Piatukhova (Minsk, Belarus) on Sivret put the Huskies up 5-2. A dig by Robichaud and a painted right sideline by Paquette put the ball in the hands of the dangerous middle Sophie Hedou who provided back-to-back-to-back aces as part of four ace, eight-point onslaught. This run feature intense transition pressure from setter Cassidy Martin (Dieppe, NB), who put middle Ivana Urquhart-Mladineo (Saint-Jean, NB) in position for creative kills, including a teardrop into the middle of the Huskies defense.
But then the Huskies finally got a clean look from middle Alena Piatukhova (Minsk, Belarus) who paid back in kind, dropping the ball into a gap in the frontcourt.. At 19-19, a dramatic rally nearly ended with a Bruhm kill, but instead ended with right side success for Moncton, with another well-timed positive set from Martin to Sivret who found a gap in the Huskies defense. However, The Huskies regained the lead after a right side denial from Bell and middle Madison Hann (Conquerall Mills, NS) and a stadium-echoing kill from Piatukhova. The Huskies quickly found themselves on the wrong end of three set points, but evened the score in part from excellent digs from libero Morgan Hoskins (Bishop’s Falls, NL) and evened the score at 24-24. Alas, consecutive clashes at the net went the way of the Aigles Bleues who took the first set 26-24.
The Huskies started off the second set with inspiring agility from liberos Syree Tucker (Kitchener, ON) and Hoskins, who set up Bell for a patented explosive kill. Lougheed got caught trying to set off the net and was called for consecutive fouls to even the score at 4-4, but shrugged those off with back to back dimes to Piatukhova and Bell. A deflating near miss on an attack from Paquette left the Aigles Bleues trailing 8-4, who called timeout in response. They managed to get the hazardous Hedou back on serve, but couldn’t get a clean look at the net throughout an extended rally, reprieving the Huskies. The Huskies pushed their lead to 15-11 after a ball from Bruhm bounced off the net for a crosscourt kill, but a series of Huskies errors narrowed their lead to 15-14. However, another push attempt from Paquette was stuffed by Piatukhova, leaving the score 16-14. Martin-to-Urquhart-Mladineo yielded the most authoritative kill of the set, but Mikanovich was not to be outdone, bouncing it off Urquhart-Mladineo into the stands. Lougheed nearly tricked the Aigles Bleues with a set fake attack, whose confusion yielded a clean Lougheed look for Bruhm, who delivered a 23-21 Huskies advantage and an opposing timeout. Ultimately, Lougheed found Mikanovich on the left side to close out the frame 25-22, evening the game at a set apiece.
The Huskies opened the third set with a brilliant back set from Lougheed to Bruhm on the right side for a kill and a 2-0 lead. Piatukhova pushed it to 4-1 was a torquing, cross-the-body kill off the block. With Hedou on serve, Bruhm missed a minimally contested crosscourt attempt, but Bell offered a bailout with a tricky left-side maneuver around the blocks for a kill. A kill from Aigles Bleues outside hitter Sara Chiasson (Pointe-à-Bouleau, NB) kill, followed by a MIkanovich error put the Aigles Bleues in front with a 9-8 advantage. However, Piatukhova xeroxed a Lougheed set into a carbon copy kill and a 12-11 lead. After a double block from Bruhm and Hann on Paquette, Moncton called timeout, trailing 13-11, but regained it after a Paquette kill and another Hedou ace. With a Bell serve yielding a transition opportunity, Lougheed’s fake set this time was lethal for her first kill of the match and a 17-17 tie. A precision Paquette dig led to a Chaisson off-the-net left side kill, and then Martin and Sivret connected, forcing a Huskies timeout, down 20-18. Mikanovich sent the Aigles Bleues defense reeling with a spike, and cleaned up a feeble floater at the net for a 21-20 Huskies lead. After a Mikanovich kill won herself a service opportunity at 22-22, she closed out the set 25-22, and the Huskies found themselves a set from victory at 2-1.
The fourth frame featured explosive attempts from the Aigles Bleues that were dug by Bell. At 3-3. Bruhm had her revenge following a flurry of alternating spikes from herself and Bell off crisp sets from Lougheed. Paquette provided a stop to several Piatukhova service points as part of her dominant closing performance. Tucker somehow managed an insane right fist layout dig in vain, as Urquhart-Mladineo erased the Huskies lead with a thundering left-side spike. Lougheed’s series of fake sets were finally dispelled, but Bruhm bailouts continued, digging the block and then finishing with a kill. At 11-10, Bell went ballistic, laying out into her bench for a dig before recovering across her backcourt to literally kick the ball to deprive the Aigles Bleues of a point, and forcing a timeout. Unfazed, Bruhm recognized the crosscourt density of defenders and simply tipped it up the line to continue the Huskies momentum.
However, Paquette parlayed the same tactics two points later for a kill of her own. Throughout, Robichaud’s presence was irreplaceable but almost overlookable because of the speed of the spikes she was defending. The left side assault from Paquette and Chiasson continued, but the Huskies soon found themselves taking a timeout down 20-17 after a right side kill from Sivret. Mikanovich forced a free ball on serve down 23-21, but blocks from the Aigles Bleues foreshadowed a dump error from Bell, yielding multiple set points. Moncton won the fourth set 25-22 with Martin-to-Urquhart-Mladineo left side dynamite, sending the match to a decider.
Mikanovich couldn’t convert on consecutive spike attempts on the first point, but Bell evened the score at 1-1 with a kill of her own. Nonetheless, Moncton marched out to a 5-2 advantage with kills from Paquette and Chiasson. The match screeched to a halt with an extended rules dispute, giving Mikanovich an opportunity to ice her head. Post-stoppage, Hedou service headaches for the Huskies continued, until an extended rally was punctuated with Bell brilliance, halting the Aigles Blues at 6-3. But a swerving Sivret serve was coughed up over the net by Bell for an unassisted kill by Urquhart-Mladineo. The Huskies tried to regroup with a timeout, down 8-3, but had to take another at 11-3, still under a Sivret siege. A Bruhm block broke the siege, and a casual kill from Bell put her on serve, and Tucker in transition found Mikanovich for a kill. The subsequent chaotic rally at 12-6 ended shockingly with a shanked dig from Robichaud off of a bump from Mikanovich. The Huskies rallied as well, but Chiasson, assisted by Robuchaud, closed out the set 15-9 to take the match 3-2.
Aigles Bleues Player of the Game Anne Paquette had 13 kills, 13 digs, and four blocks, while Ivana Urquhart-Mladineo provided 13 kills of her own, in addition to five digs and five blocks. Sophie Hedou’s deadly serve generated six aces, and Sara Chiasson led the team with 18 digs. Many of those digs found their way to Cassidy Martin, who had an astronomical 45 assists.
The Huskies were led by Megan Bruhm with 14 kills, seven digs, and six blocks, 40 assists from Taylor Lougheed, and 21 digs from Emilia Mikanovich, who also provided 13 kills. Olivia Bell was all over the court with 13 kills, three assists, 16 digs, and four blocks, while Alena Piatukhova contributed 10 kills alongside a game high 10 blocks, including two solo blocks.
The Huskies and Aigles Bleues will finish off their home-and-home set in Moncton on Sunday, November 19th at 2:00 pm AST.
The Huskies, still tied for first in the conference, will be on the road until the New Year, when they will host the UNB Reds at the Homburg Centre at 7:00 PM AST.
Recap by: Dr. Casper Macaulay / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics
Photos by: Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary’s Huskies Athletics
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