Fredericton, NB - The Holland College Hurricanes started their playoff quest with a 3-1 win over the St. Thomas University Tommies Wednesday night at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. The win puts them ahead 1-0 in the best-of-3 playoff series. Set scores were 25-19, 29-27, 22-25 and 25-22.
Luke Hyde led Holland with 16 kills and 21.5 points, while Cameron Calhoun followed up with 13 kills and 18 points.
On the Tommies' side, Brenton Romanchuk (Drewbarry, AB) led STU with 18 kills and 22 points with Adam McDougall (Calgary, AB) right behind with 17 kills and 18.5 points. The two combined a total of 40.5 points out of a team total of 62.
In the first set the Tommies pulled ahead by a small margin as their serves found the opposing team's court, but momentum quickly shifted in favor of the Hurricanes. Holland started to attack consistently with serve reception adjustments.
Kills were traded back and forth, as both teams were able to generate substantial offence off their serve receptions. For the first 10 points neither team was able to push ahead by more than two.
As the set went on, the Hurricanes were able to build a lead - pulling ahead by as much as six to take the set 25-19.
The second set started with a small service streak by McDougall. Missed serves became a growing theme in the set as both teams struggled to find the opposing team's court. Halfway through the set, the Tommies were down 14-8, but they were able to narrow the deficit to one. This trend of closing the deficit continued for the remainder of the set, as both teams tried to etch by the other.
Both teams had several opportunities to finish the set, which ultimately ended in a close 29-27 for Holland to take a 2-0 lead.
The third set was defined by blocking, as both teams started to get a beat on where the ball was being sent. Both McDougall and Calhoun made good use of the opposing team's blockers to send balls out of bounds.
The Tommies managed to fend off the Hurricanes' attempted clean-sweep with a 25-22 set win.
The fourth set was competitive, with both teams making far less errors on serve reception and block coverage compared to previous sets. The Hurricane offense proved to be too consistent, leading to a 25-22 win to close out the match.
McDougall said the loss will keep the Tommies motivated.
"This loss is what will keep our motivation going," McDougall said. "This loss doesn't define us and we want to show that."
Game two will be at Holland on Saturday, Feb. 15. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 PM.
Recap by: Koan Walker