By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes will head on the road for all but one game this weekend in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) volleyball and basketball competition.
Here’s what’s happening between Friday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 17.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes are coming off a close match last Saturday where they were nearly upset by the Dalhousie Rams but narrowly walked away with a victory and their fourth win in five matches.
This weekend, they will play at home and on the road, starting with a Friday night showdown at the McMillan Centre against the Mount Allison Mounties and ending with a trip to Pointe-de-l’Eglise, N.S. on Sunday to take on the Université de-Saint Anne (USTA) Dragons. The Mounties are 3-1 and currently sit tied for fourth in the conference with six points, two back of Holland. The Dragons are 0-5 and have just one set win after five matches, which has them at the bottom of the standings. Both games will be Holland’s first against Mount Allison and USTA.
The Hurricanes are the favourites going into the weekend, holding a 4-1 record and currently tied for the conference lead. While fourth-year left-side Morgan White (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) leads the team in multiple categories, including kills, digs, and service aces per set, along with second-year setter Hannah Power (Corner Brook, NL), the player with the most momentum is third-year right-side Charlotte Sweetapple (Corner Brook, NL). She earned the most recent Hurricanes Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honours after recording 14 kills and 11 digs in last Saturday’s game.
Friday’s game time is 6 p.m. and Sunday’s game time is 11 a.m. Friday’s match in Charlottetown will be the final on PEI for 2024.
Watch all the weekend action 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 continue to remain on a roller coaster to begin their season, going from a home-opening doubleheader sweep to a three-game losing streak, and then breaking the streak last Saturday with a straight-set victory.
Currently tied for second in the conference with Crandall (six points each) and holding a 3-3 record, the squad looks to get a steadier pace going, but it will come with a big challenge this weekend, as they will head to Pointe-de-l’Eglise, N.S. for a doubleheader against the league-leading, undefeated USTA Dragons on Saturday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Nov. 17, joining the women who will instead play USTA just once. It’ll be the first time Holland plays USTA this season.
After six games, the Dragons have three straight-set victories and have yet to lose more than one set in a single game. They have relied on players such as second-year right-side Liam Pelletier, fourth-year left-side Louis-Philippe Leblanc, and third-year center Oliver Rutherford to build a strong group and lead them to victories; all three are toward the top of nearly every notable statistic in the conference, particularly kills per set, kills, blocks per set, and service aces per set. At the same time, they still have some catching up to do in digs.
While inconsistencies have plagued most of the Hurricanes squad, players like third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.), second-year left-side Dominik Pineau (Cornwall, P.E.I.), and third-year setter Tyler McBride (Oakville, Ontario) have made an impact in every game; Gray was recently named the Hurricanes Male Athlete of the Week after recording 28 kills, 14 digs, two service aces, and one assist across two games last weekend.
Saturday’s game time is 6 p.m. and Sunday’s game time is 1 p.m. Catch the action live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the men’s volleyball ‘Canes at www.x.com/canesmvball and www.instagram.com/canesmvball.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes are riding off a big win in their final home game of the first half of the season last Saturday and will look to keep the momentum going with a New Brunswick road trip this weekend.
On Friday, they will visit the Crandall University Chargers in Moncton, N.B., and, on Sunday, they will invade the Mount Allison Mounties in Sackville, N.B. Crandall currently sits at the bottom of the conference with four losses after four games and have yet to score any more than 48 points in a single game; their lack of offensive production will be key for Holland to take advantage of in the first game between the two teams this season.
Meanwhile, Mount Allison has had an opposite start to their season, rallying off four wins in five games, with the most recent being a nail-biting double overtime victory. Sitting atop of the conference with eight points versus Holland’s four, the Hurricanes are set on catching up.
As expected, the veteran core leads the way for the Hurricanes. Third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia) was recently named Hurricanes Female Athlete of the Week after leading her team to victory last Saturday; she’s currently second in the conference with 16 points per game, third with 10 rebounds per game, and third with a field goal percentage of 50.
Fourth-year guard Amy Plaggenhoef (Stratford, P.E.I.) has also been strong with a plethora of points and the second-best three-point percentage in the conference at 50. Rookies Vantaya Talbot (Truro, N.S.), Nykeva Wilson-Brown (Halifax, N.S.), and Karissa George (New Glasgow, N.S.) have had turns making an impact on the court in their first run with Holland.
Friday’s game time is 6 p.m. and Sunday’s game time is 3 p.m. Watch the action live at https://acaat.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 look to extinguish a two-game losing streak this weekend and get back to their winning ways from their home-opening match in late October.
They will join the women with their own New Brunswick road trip, also visiting Moncton, N.B. to take on the Crandall University Chargers and visiting Sackville, N.B. to challenge the Mount Allison Mounties.
The men’s Chargers started their season with a close loss but have since won three consecutive games, all coming with close scores, which has them at a 3-1 record and tied for the conference lead, four points ahead of Holland. The men’s Mounties, on the other hand, have four losses in five games and are tied with Holland for fifth in the conference with two points each. Both games will be Holland’s first against each team.
Despite their recent losing streak, the Hurricanes have still shown they can pile up many points against any opponent; the downside has been their clutch performance, which was far superior by the opponent in past games. Second-year guard Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) currently leads Holland and the entire conference with 26 points per game and also currently has the third-best three-point percentage in the conference at 55.6.
Other second-year players including forward Owen Parsons (Hebbville, N.S.), and guards Michael Surur (Calgary, Alberta) and Jaidon Martin (Toronto, Ontario) have shown flashes of brilliance, along with third-year guard Spencer Rossiter (Summerside, P.E.I.). Fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) still has some catching up to do, especially in statistics, as he recently returned to ACAA competition after missing a game the previous week; he led the Hurricanes last Sunday with 24 points.
Friday’s game time is 8 p.m. and Sunday’s game time is 5 p.m. Watch live at https://acaa.tv.
Connect with the men’s basketball Hurricanes at www.x.com/canesmbball and www.instagram.co/hurricanesbball.
For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, visit www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.x.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.
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