Schmuland leads Tigers in 3-2 loss to UNB

The UNB Reds defeated the Dalhousie Tigers 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 18-25, 15-7) in RSEQ men's volleyball action Friday night at Dalplex in Halifax. 

Both teams were relatively closely matched to start the first set, trading points along the way. The Reds started to pull away from the Tigers and were leading 16-11 at the technical time out. The Tigers were unable to put together any consecutive point runs and eventually fell 25-18. 

It was more of the same in the second, with both teams trading points and the lead. UNB gain led at the technical timeout of the second set with a score of 16-14. The Reds seemed primed to take the second, but the Tigers continued to press and took the set 26-24 to tie the match at one apiece. 

The see-saw affair continued in the third set, with neither team leading by more than four points until the technical time out. UNB was again the leader with a four-point lead over the Tigers with a score of 16-12. UNB kept up the pressure and the point runs, taking the third set 25-18. 

The fourth set was another tightly contested affair and this time the Tigers were leading at the technical timeout, up 16-14. It was all Tigers the rest of the way with a strong serving run by Malachy Shannon (Halifax, N.S.). Dalhousie took the fourth set 25-18 to tie the match at two sets apiece. 

UNB came out strong in the fifth and final set, thanks in large part to a four-point serving run by Thomas Vickers (Bible Hill, N.S.). The Reds took the set 15-7 to end the match 3-2. 

Serving errors plagued the Tigers throughout the match. They had 19 missed serves compared to UNB's six. UNB's prowess at the net also made a big difference in the match collecting 12 blocks compared to Dalhousie's two. The teams were otherwise relatively event across most statistical categories. 

Leading the way for the Reds was Connor McConnell (Hanwell, N.B.) who had a match-high 19 kills and added 11 digs and five block assists for 23.5 points. Setter Nick Glynn (Fredericton, N.B.) had 43 assists and seven digs. 

Graham Schmuland (Calgary, Alta.) had a team-high 18 kills and had seven digs. Quinton Dowling (Waterloo, Ont.) recorded 47 assists and five digs. 

Both teams meet again tomorrow for their final regular season match. First serve is at 1:00 p.m. at Dalplex and will be broadcast on AUStv.ca.