Written by Thomas Scott
[HALIFAX NS] – After losing 3-0 against the Dalhousie Tigers on Friday night, the University of New Brunswick Reds flipped the script on Saturday, winning all three sets at Dalplex.
Grace Calnan (Cole Harbour, NS) started the first set off with two aces to put the Tigers up 2-0. Heather Benko (Sechelt, BC) responded with two kills for the Reds to begin the set.
The Reds would gain a 10-4 lead in the first set. Later in the set, Reds player of the game, Lydia Green (Bedford, NS), had a monster spike to give the Reds a 20-16 lead.
Talia Vydykhan (Hammonds Plains, NS) scored a kill for the Tigers to cut the lead to 24-21, but it would not be enough as Benko got the kill to win the first set 25-21 for the Reds.
Tigers player of the game, Calnan, was key in the second set, getting the Tigers two early points. She would end the match with eight kills, tying Vydykhan on the team.
Benko would give the Reds a 12-8 lead with a kill, with Green later extending the Reds lead to 17-13. The Reds were steady as Sonya Nielsen (Delia, AB) gave them a 22-16 lead. Calnan would cut the lead to 24-20 for the Tigers, but the set ended with the Tigers hitting the ball out of play to give the Reds a 25-20 win in the second set.
Benko continued a spectacular night, starting the third set with a kill to give UNB a 2-0 lead. UNB would gain a 5-0 lead to start the third set.
The Tigers tried to come back, with Annik Boldon (Fredericton, NB) making it a 10-7 game early in the set.
Green finished the night with 12 kills, one of which gave the Reds a 22-12 lead in the third set.
However, the Tigers effort ended there, with the Reds taking the set 25-13.