REDS Fall To No. 1 Sherbrooke

(FREDERICTON, NB) The U SPORTS No. 1 ranked Sherbrooke Vert et Or beat the UNB REDS 3-0 in RSEQ men’s volleyball action at UNB’s Richard J. Currie Center on Friday night.

Sherbrooke won 27-25, 25-15 and 25-15.

The top-ranked visitors rallied from a 19-15 hole to take the first set 27-25.

Jacob Harris (Clarenville, NL) led the REDS effort with four kills and three blocks in an exciting opening set.

“We had a couple of opportunities at 21-17 and we made some errors that we hadn’t made, in that first set, after 21-17,” said REDS’ head coach Dan McMorran. “You make those kinds of errors and you don’t get away with it, we didn’t get away with it there.”

In the second, the Vert et Or established an early 10-5 lead on route to a 25-15 victory and a two sets to none lead.

Sherbrooke employed a relentless attack in the fourth set.

Try as they did, the REDS couldn’t overcome it and fell 25-15, dropping the match in straight sets.

“We allowed that first set disappointment to seep into the second set, and that’s been an area of constant need for improvement with this group,” said Coach McMorran. “Right now, we have no need to be disappointed,” he added. “This is where we are. There were some individuals that did some pretty good things here, but you can’t be disappointed. We just have to acknowledge where we are and if we’re not, and we think we’re better than we are right now, then we’re not going to move, our growth is not going to take place.”

Jérémie Doyon (St-Joseph de Beauce, QC) led Sherbrooke with eight kills while Grégoire Mercier-Noel (Boucherville, QC) has half a dozen digs.

Harris led the REDS with a game-high 11 kills while Rafael Hilario (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) had a game-high seven digs.

The REDS and Vert et Or will wrap up their two-game weekend series on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 3:00pm.

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics