Disappointing weekend for Hurricanes

At ACAA championships in Fredericton

It was a disappointing weekend for the Holland Hurricanes at the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) volleyball championships.

The men fell in the championship match on Sunday, and the women lost in Saturday’s semifinal action. Both matches were against the host St. Thomas Tommies.

The Holland College men punched their ticket to the title match with a semifinal win over the Université de Sainte-Anne Dragons on Saturday in straight sets – 25-12, 25-23, 25-10.

In Sunday’s championship match, the Tommies won in four sets – 26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 25-16.

Brett Butler led the attack for the Hurricanes with 19 kills while also leading the way in digs with 15. Gordon Veitch added 10 kills, four aces and eight digs in the loss, and Nathan Archibald dished out 40 assists along with six digs and a block.

The Hurricanes entered the championship as the No. 1 seed after a regular season of 13-2 while the Tommies entered as the No. 3 seed following an 8-7 regular season.

The Tommies will now represent the ACAA at the 2018 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national men’s volleyball championship in Victoria, B.C.

The women’s Hurricanes fell in semifinal action to the Tommies in five sets – 25-19, 27-29, 25-20, 21-25, 15-8.

Brittany States and Megan LeBlanc powered the Hurricanes’ offence, picking up 15 and 14 kills, respectively.

After Saturday’s performance, LeBlanc now holds the record for most career kills with the women’s volleyball Hurricanes, now sitting at 420. She passed the former holder, Sydney

Foy, who previously held the record with 407.

Gracie Ferguson had 33 assists on Saturday, along with 13 digs, while LeBlanc led the way in digs with 22. Dana Trainor had 21 digs in the loss.

The Hurricanes entered the championship as the No. 2 seed after an 18-3 regular season, and the Tommies sat at No. 3 with a 15-6 record.

The Tommies went on to lose to the No. 1-ranked Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics on Sunday in straight-sets in the championship match. The Mystics will represent the ACAA at the 2018 CCAA national women’s volleyball championship in Grand Prairie, Alta.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Members of the Holland Hurricanes were recognized for outstanding performances during the 2017-18 season at the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) volleyball awards in Fredericton, N.B., on Friday evening. Front row, from left: Gracie...

SUBMITTED PHOTO The Holland Hurricanes’ Sam Gerbig sends the ball over the net during Saturday’s Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) women’s volleyball semifinal match against the St. Thomas Tommies in Fredericton, N.B. St. Thomas won in five sets.