By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes will have three consecutive days of exciting volleyball and basketball action at the McMillan Centre to begin November.
Here’s what’s happening in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) competition between Friday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 3.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes look to continue their fiery start to the 2024-25 season this weekend with games on Saturday and Sunday.
Coming off a weekend where they claimed back-to-back straight-set victories in front of a giant home crowd, the squad has all of the momentum in the world going into a new weekend when they will face teams from both ends of the standings.
Despite the fantastic start, head coach Craig Hoskins knows that multiple improvements will be required to continue their momentum, especially since the team tended to relax too soon. “Sometimes, we got a little lead and got too comfortable with that and left the foot off the gas,” Hoskins said after last Sunday’s game. “I want more of a killer instinct where we’re not letting teams back into the matches when we don’t have to.”
On Saturday, the 2-0 St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies come to town from Fredericton, N.B. for their first match against the Hurricanes. STU had a solid start to their 2024-25 season with 3-2 and 3-0 wins last weekend, both at home. This Saturday’s game, between two undefeated teams, will be a big factor in deciding who comes out of the weekend at the top of the conference.
On Sunday, the 0-2 Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics look to turn things around in their first visit to P.E.I. after dropping both of their first two matches to begin their 2024 season, 3-2 and 3-0; the former result came against STU.
Keep an eye out for fourth-year left-side Morgan White (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) to lead her squad and bring yet another storm to the court after starting the season with 19 kills and 12 digs last weekend. Other players like fourth-year left-side Jenna O’Neill (Cornwall, P.E.I.), fourth-year left-side Jamie Spencer (Fort Frances, Ontario), and second-year setter Hannah Power (Corner Brook, NL) were also key contributors last weekend and will look to continue their ways as well.
Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 1 p.m. Watch all of the action live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the women’s volleyball ‘Canes at www.x.com/caneswvball and www.instagram.com/caneswvball.
Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball Hurricanes seek to repeat their strong efforts from last weekend and also push for the top spot in the conference at the McMillan Centre this weekend, which they’re currently tied for with the Université de Saint-Anne (USTA) Dragons.
While the team managed to sweep the Crandall University Chargers with great effort and energy, inconsistencies were noticeable, and head coach Brett Butler noted them after last Sunday’s game, especially knowing what may be at stake when the team hosts the regional championships next February. “We have to get used to playing tough games at home. We need to learn how to win those fifth sets,” Butler said. “We go on some really big plays, then miss a serve after coming out of timeouts. Just little things like that and the focus throughout the full 25 points. STU will be a tough test.”
The Hurricanes will host the STU Tommies twice this weekend with games on Saturday and Sunday. The Tommies, who eliminated the Hurricanes in last season’s playoffs, started the season on a low note with just one set win across 3-0 and 3-1 losses to USTA at home. The ACAA semifinal rematches will be a battle between Holland getting revenge for last season’s loss and STU emerging victorious for the first time this season.
Third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) did what he was expected to do last weekend, carrying the fort with a total of 35 kills and 18 digs across two games, and he carries the same expectations moving forward. Third-year setter Tyler McBride (Oakville, Ontario) and third-year middle Nathan Wills (Bonshaw, P.E.I.) were also standouts to begin the new season and are ready to help the squad pioneer the conference exiting Sunday’s game.
Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 3 p.m. Both matches can be viewed live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the men’s volleyball ‘Canes at www.x.com/canesmvball and www.instgram.com/canesmvball.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes will be in a battle with three other teams this weekend for the top position in the conference, and their challenge of emerging with it will come against the MSVU Mystics in a Friday night showdown at the McMillan Centre.
After a big 85-69 win against the University of King’s College (UKC) Blue Devils at home to start the season last Saturday, which saw everybody make a deep impact on the court, the squad is eager to continue proving their worth as a championship contender. While the intensity was high, head coach Chris Connolly wants to see more passion, especially with the ball, moving forward. “The difference between the first and the second half (last Saturday) was how hard we were after the ball,” Connolly said after last Saturday’s game. “If we can do that for 40 minutes, we’re going to be pretty tough (to beat).”
The Mystics are the only team in the conference with more than one game played so far, as they played twice last weekend, defeating Crandall and losing to Mount Allison. This Friday’s match will be the first between MSVU and Holland.
Fifth-year forward and former ACAA Player of the Year Alexa Rancourt (New Dominion, P.E.I.), third-year guard Molly Steadman (Coldbrook, N.S.), and third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia) were the strongest of the bunch last weekend, combining for a total of 54 points, so watch out for them to strike once more.
Friday’s game time is 6 p.m. and will be live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at www.x.com/caneswbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes join the women in solidifying their status as a team to fear within the conference, and they will also play the MSVU Mystics this Friday at the McMillan Centre.
After starting the 2024-25 season with a 104-80 win against the UKC Blue Devils at home last Saturday, the squad hopes to build upon their performance with improved consistency and a stronger defensive effort, which head coach Tim Kendrick preached after the home-opening game.
The Mystics are also undefeated, having won both of their two games last weekend, 83-78 against Crandall and 74-68 against Mount Allison, and like the women, this Friday’s game will be the first between MSVU and Holland.
Fifth-year forward and former ACAA leading scorer Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) looks to stabilize things after recording 13 points in last Saturday’s game ahead of a technical foul which took him out of the game. Watch out for second-year guard Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) and third-year guard Spencer Rossiter (Summerside, P.E.I.) to connect well together as they did last weekend.
Friday’s game time is 8 pm. and live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the men’s basketball ‘Canes at www.x.com/canesmbball and www.instagram.com/hurricanesbball.
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