By Noel Arnason
This weekend saw both volleyball teams remain undefeated, while the men's basketball team opened its season with two big wins and the women's basketball team went 1-1 in ACAA action.
The Hurricanes improved to 4-0 this weekend after a clean sweep on Sunday against the USTA Dragons on the road.
Sunday, Nov. 8 — 3-0 win vs. USTA Dragons
It was a relatively easy win for Holland against the Dragons, with only the first set featuring a close score. Both teams went point for point before the Hurricanes ultimately came away with a 25-23 win. Holland followed that up with a 25-16 second-set victory before completing the sweep with a 25-18 win in the third set.
Maria Moores once again led the Hurricanes in kills with 11 on the day and a hitting percentage of .450. Ariah Pot led the Hurricanes in hitting percentage at .500 and had four kills herself. Abby MacDonald finished with five kills and two blocks.
Moores ranks second in the league in kills per set with 3.54 and fifth in total kills with 46. Moores, MacDonald and Pot rank second, third and fourth in the league in hitting percentage with .500, .489 and .359, respectively. MacDonald ranks fourth in blocks per set with 1.00 and first in service aces per set with 0.85. Marissa O’Donnell ranks fifth in service aces per set, averaging 0.69, and second in assists per set with 7.85.
Men’s volleyball also remains undefeated after two wins on the road this past weekend against the USTA Dragons. The Hurricanes won six of the seven sets played and outscored their opponents 170-130 over the two matches.
Saturday, Nov. 7 — 3-1 win vs. USTA Dragons
Holland took the first set Saturday 25-18 before the Dragons bounced back to win the second set 25-20. The Hurricanes responded by taking the third set 25-15 and the fourth 25-18 to secure the victory.
Brett MacAusland had himself a day, finishing with nine kills, seven digs and one block, along with a hitting percentage of .529. Zach Warren also led the charge on offence, recording 12 kills with a hitting percentage of .407. Carson Gray had 17 digs on the day and finished with nine kills and a hitting percentage of .280.
Sunday, Nov. 8 — 3-0 win vs. USTA Dragons
The Hurricanes took Sunday's game without much pushback from the Dragons, winning the first set 25-19, the second 25-18 and the third 25-17.
Gray led Holland in kills with nine and a .400 hitting percentage, while Warren finished second with eight kills, followed closely by Kalan Billard with seven. Libero Tyler McBride had 15 digs on the day, and Jakob Curtis finished with 14 assists.
The Hurricanes rank first, second and third in the league in hitting percentage, with MacAusland at .405, Billard at .349 and Gray at .344. Gray ranks third in the league in digs per set, averaging 3.00, while Warren ranks first in service aces per set, averaging 1.00. Curtis ranks fourth in assists per set with 6.60.
Women's basketball opened its season with a 1-1 record, earning a win against the Crandall Chargers on the road before falling to the UNBSJ Seawolves in its home opener.
Saturday, Nov. 7 — 65-48 win vs. Crandall Chargers
A trend for the Hurricanes this weekend was getting down early. On Saturday, the Chargers led Holland 14-9 after the first quarter. The Hurricanes responded with a stronger second quarter, outscoring Crandall 17-16, but still trailed 30-26 at halftime.
Holland continued to chip away at the lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Chargers 16-14, before taking complete control in the fourth to secure a 65-48 victory.
Molly Steadman earned player of the game honours, posting 19 points for Holland while shooting nine-for-13 from the field. Rookie Sara Hillman added 11 points, while Nevaeh O'Connell finished with 10.
Sunday, Nov. 8 — 69-61 loss vs. UNBSJ Seawolves
Sunday saw the Hurricanes get off to another slow start as they tried to complete another comeback but ultimately came up short.
The Seawolves opened the game with 21 points compared to Holland's 14 in the first quarter, before both teams scored 16 in the second. The Hurricanes came out of halftime looking to complete the comeback, but UNBSJ matched them offensively, maintaining a 55-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Holland kept fighting in the final quarter, but both teams scored 14 points, resulting in a 69-61 loss for the Hurricanes.
Steadman again led Holland in scoring with 15 points, followed by Sophie LeClair and Nadia Barrington, who each finished with 13.”
Steadman also leads the league in free-throw percentage at 90 per cent while ranking fourth in rebounds per game with 10. Hillman leads the league in steals with 11, while O'Connell follows in third with nine. Karissa George ranks second in the league in blocks with four, tied with LeClair.
The Hurricanes men's basketball team opened its season with two big wins, with both victories coming after early deficits.
Saturday, Nov. 7 — 76-64 win vs. Crandall Chargers
Crandall took an early lead in the first quarter, outscoring the Hurricanes 20-16. The Chargers followed that up in the second quarter and held a 40-35 lead at halftime.
Holland came out of the break and started to take control of the game, taking a 54-48 lead into the fourth quarter before pulling away to secure a 76-64 victory.
Kaymon Grouse took the league by storm, putting up 28 points in the win. Khaliyl Smith was the next closest scorer with 10, while Fabian Colley added nine.
Sunday, Nov. 8 — 89-76 win vs. UNBSJ Seawolves
The Hurricanes knew Sunday's game against the Seawolves would be a challenge, but they battled back to earn another victory and improve to 2-0 on the season.
UNBSJ held a 21-20 lead after the first quarter, but Holland fought back to take a 47-45 lead at halftime. The Hurricanes extended their lead in the third quarter, heading into the final frame up 60-57 before pulling away for an 89-76 win.
Grouse once again led the way for Holland, putting up 27 points. Igor Stolarz added 19 points, while Owen Parsons finished with 13.
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