Sea-Hawks beat Tigers

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Memorial University defeated Dalhousie University in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at Dalplex with scores of 31-29, 25-22, 25-22. Dalhousie's attack percentage peaked at .235 in the third set.

The first set between Dalhousie and Memorial was a tightly contested battle. Memorial took an early lead, capitalizing on back-to-back attack errors by Paris Stewart to go up 2-0. Dalhousie responded with a series of points, highlighted by a service ace from Quinn McAleer, to take a 5-2 lead. The set remained close, with both teams exchanging leads. Memorial's Lydia Grawer played a pivotal role, recording multiple kills, including the decisive point that ended the set at 31-29 in favor of Memorial. Despite Dalhousie's efforts to stay in the match, the set concluded with Memorial securing the victory after a series of intense rallies.

The second set saw a competitive exchange between Dalhousie and the Sea-Hawks. Memorial initially built momentum with a 4-1 run featuring a kill from Courtney Hodder and a block on Mel Hatfield. Dalhousie responded with a series of points, including a service ace by Hatfield, to tie the score at 4-4. The teams continued to trade leads, but Memorial managed to pull ahead, reaching a 17-16 advantage after a kill by Grawer, prompting a Dalhousie timeout. Despite Dalhousie's efforts, including a kill by Ella Hornby, Memorial capitalized on several errors and secured the set 25-22, with the final point coming off an attack error by Brooke Graham.

The third set saw the Sea-Hawks clinch a narrow victory over Dalhousie with a final score of 25-22. Memorial's Hodder delivered three consecutive service aces, pushing her team from a 16-16 tie to an 18-16 lead. Dalhousie's Hornby attempted to rally her team with multiple kills, including one that brought the score to 23-20 after a Dalhousie timeout. However, Grawer secured the final point with a kill from a Karen Greek assist, ending the set in Memorial's favor.

Hornby led with 12 kills on 32 swings, finishing with a hitting percentage of .281 and contributing one service ace. Stewart added 11 kills and seven digs, amassing a total of 12 points. McAleer recorded 20 assists and chipped in with five digs and one service ace. Hatfield tallied eight kills and eight digs, while serving two aces.

The Tigers hit the road on Friday, heading to Fredericton to battle the REDS.