It’s a crucial weekend for the Holland Hurricanes basketball and volleyball teams in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).  The men’s volleyball ‘Canes begin a best-of-three series for the ACAA title, while the women’s volleyball Hurricanes begin their playoffs.  Both the men’s and women’s basketball ‘Canes are set to play their final two regular season games for 2022-23.

It will be an exciting weekend – here is everything you need to know.

Men’s Volleyball

The Hurricanes are in Church Point, Nova Scotia this weekend to compete in the ACAA Championship series versus the Université de Sainte-Anne (USTA) Dragons.  The ‘Canes, the second seed, advanced to the finals by sweeping the third-ranked, St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies in the semi-finals, 2-0. While the Dragons (first) advanced to the finals by sweeping the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves, the fourth seed.

 Game one takes place on Friday at 6pm with game two taking place on Saturday at 2pm.  Game three, if needed, will take place on Sunday at 12pm.

During the regular season the ‘Canes finished with a record of 9-6 while the Dragons finished at 12-3.  In five meetings during the regular season, the Dragons won four matches on November 5 (3-0), November 6 (3-2), January 21 (3-0) and February 11 (3-1); the Hurricanes won the January 22 matchup by winning in straight sets.

All three games from the championship can be viewed live at www.acaa.tv.

Connect with the men’s volleyball Hurricanes by visiting www.twitter.com/canesmvball and www.instagram.com/canesmvball.

Women’s Volleyball

The 2023 ACAA Women’s Volleyball Championship begins on Friday in Halifax, Nova Scotia with the Hurricanes taking on the sixth-ranked, Mount Allison University (MTA) Mounties in quarter final play; the ‘Canes enter the championship ranked at number three.  First serve is scheduled for 1pm.

The ‘Canes finished the regular season at 13-5 while the Mounties were 9-9.  The Hurricanes and Mounties met three times during the regular season; the Mounties won on November 12 in straight sets, before the ‘Canes swept the matches on January 22 and February 11.

If the ‘Canes are victorious on Friday afternoon, they would advance to one of the two semi-final matches on Saturday where they would either play the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics at 1pm, or the STU Tommies at 3:30pm, depending on the results from the second quarter-final match featuring the University of King’s College (UKC) and the UNBSJ Seawolves.

The ACAA Championship match will take place on Sunday at 1pm.

For full championship information from Halifax, visit www.acaa.ca.

Connect with the women’s volleyball Hurricanes at www.twitter.com/caneswvball and www.instagram.com/caneswvball.

Women’s Basketball

After defeating the UKC Blue Devils on Wednesday night in Halifax, the ‘Canes are down to just two regular season games remaining.  They will visit the UNBSJ Seawolves on Friday evening at 5pm before finishing their regular season on Sunday at home versus UKC; tip-off is scheduled for 1pm.

The Hurricanes have won their last two games and enter the weekend at 12-4 and in a tie for second place with the MSVU Mystics with a game in-hand.  Two wins over the weekend would guarantee a bye to the semi-finals for the Hurricanes by finishing in second place.

The UNBSJ Seawolves enter the weekend at 0-16 and in seventh in the standings; they’ve lost both games versus the ‘Canes this season.

The 5-11, UKC Blue Devils, enter the weekend in fifth place and have lost their last three games, including a 93-58 defeat on Wednesday to Holland College.

Lisa Bolander led the way with 19 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal while Karla Benitez, the Hurricanes Athlete of the Week, finished with the double-double thanks to 16 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

In total, the Hurricanes had five players with double-digit point totals in the game, including Amy Plaggenhoef, Sheleese Hoilett and Ava Sinnott.

The ‘Canes will look to finish strong this weekend ahead of the 2023 ACAA Basketball Championships hosted by the STU Tommies in Fredericton, New Brunswick, March 3-5.

Connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at www.twitter.com/caneswbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s Hurricanes capped off a perfect night in Halifax with a 106-74 win over the UKC Blue Devils on Wednesday.

The ‘Canes are now setting their sights on their weekend opponents.  They will visit the UNBSJ Seawolves at 7pm on Friday and conclude their regular season at the McMillan Centre in Charlottetown on Sunday at 3pm versus UKC.

The Hurricanes are 11-5 and in a tie for second with the Crandall University Chargers; the ‘Canes have one game in-hand.

In two matchups with UNBSJ this season, the ‘Canes have earned two wins; they sit at 0-16.

The UKC Blue Devils are 4-12 and in sixth in the ACAA; they’ve lost their last two games, including the loss on Wednesday night.

The ‘Canes were offensively powered by Kyree Thompson on Wednesday, scoring 36 points and adding seven rebounds, an assist and a block.  Jack MacAulay also had a strong offensive night, scoring 25 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Also reaching double-digits in points was Jalen Menzies with 15 points, three rebounds and an assist, and Chris Cheatham with 10 points, two rebounds and two steals.

The ‘Canes will compete at the ACAA Championships in Fredericton on March 3-5; two wins this weekend would guarantee a bye to the semi-finals by finishing in the top two in the standings.

Connect with the men’s basketball ‘Canes at www.twitter.com/canesmbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.

For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, please visit www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.twitter.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.

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