By Reegan MacAulay
An eventful weekend for the Holland Hurricanes at the McMillan Centre saw just one victory across six games of Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) competition as the ‘Canes battled hard in several very close volleyball and basketball games.
Here’s what happened between Friday, Nov. 1 and Sunday, Nov. 3.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes came one set win away from a perfect weekend on their home court, but fell just short; regardless, they exited with two of a potential four points in an even split.
On Saturday, Holland was visited by the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies in a match where both teams were seeking their third consecutive win and to remain undefeated, and the winning team would claim the top spot in the conference for the time being. It was also STU’s first road game of the season. In a battle that would come down to the wire in the fifth and final set thanks to an incredible surge by the Tommies, the Hurricanes ultimately won the war by a nail-biting two points.
A large crowd witnessed the matinee begin with a stronger start by Holland, who easily took the first two sets with consistent teamwork and speedy kills as STU was riddled with mistakes. That changed in the third set as resilience and more energy gave the Tommies back-to-back 25-22 set victories to force a fifth. An intense point exchange came down to a 13-13 tie, with the Hurricanes proving better to extend their winning streak to three and remain undefeated.
On Sunday, the tides changed drastically for the Hurricanes. The Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics came to town ready for redemption after losing 3-0 against Crandall the previous day. Both the first and second sets saw a similar pattern with competitive starts, but the Mystics capitalized on a better clutch performance and coordination toward the end of each set, thus claiming sets one and two 25-20 and 25-21.
While Holland was heavily tested early in the third set, they grabbed the role the Tommies had the previous day and attempted a wild comeback effort. Multiple MSVU timeouts in the third set wouldn’t be enough to catch the Hurricanes as they took it 25-14. The fourth set had everybody’s hearts pounding due to a severe lack of consistency, but Holland squeezed their way to a 27-25 set win. Unfortunately, the comeback effort collapsed when it had to be at its best, as improved teamwork by the Mystics sealed the deal for them to run away with a 15-7 set win and a 3-2 game win.
Fourth-year left-side Morgan White (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) led the Hurricanes with 26 kills, 28 digs, and 12 rebounds across two games. Fourth-year left-side Jenna O’Neill (Cornwall, P.E.I.) recorded a total of 15 kills, nine digs, and six service aces, fourth-year middle Myah Utrosa (Brooklin, Ontario) added 15 kills and 11 digs, and fourth-year left-side Jamie Spencer (Fort Frances, Ontario) scored 17 kills and 12 digs.
The Hurricanes dropped to 3-1 and are now tied for the conference lead with UKC and UNBSJ. They will return to action next Saturday, Nov. 9 with a trip to Truro, NS to take on the winless Dalhousie Rams.
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 went from the highest of highs on home-opening weekend to the lowest of lows in their second consecutive home-game doubleheader.
The men’s STU Tommies, who defeated Holland in last season’s ACAA semifinals and went on to win the regional championship, had started their new season with back-to-back losses against USTA on their home court and entered the recent weekend more hungry than ever to get back to their winning ways. While both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games were easily dominated by the Tommies, especially thanks to some outstanding kills, Holland showed flashes of brilliance but was plagued by inconsistencies, including successful serves and player positioning, and was simply outbeaten.
On Saturday, STU went up 11-5 in the first set, and a Hurricanes timeout wouldn’t be the equalizer in a 25-13 set loss. Things tightened up in the second set, but the Tommies barely edged ahead albeit a valiant Hurricanes effort 25-21. STU jumped to a 9-4 lead in the third set, and while Holland found some footing, all momentum was cut short every time, sealing their fate for a 25-16 set loss and a 3-0 game loss.
On Sunday, the Hurricanes had a strong start quickly get snipped as the Tommies held a decent lead till the buzzer, hanging on for a 25-17 first set win. The second set was relatively the same, and while Holland gave all of their might in the third set, which was their best of the weekend, luck never went their way, losing 25-23, and STU exited the weekend with back-to-back straight-set victories.
Third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) led the Hurricanes with a combined total of 19 kills and 10 digs across two games. Third-year setter Tyler McBride (Oakville, Ontario) recorded 42 assists and eight digs while second-year left-side Dominik Pineau (Cornwall, P.E.I.) added eight kills and seven digs.
The Hurricanes dropped to 2-2 and are now tied for second in the conference with an also 2-2 Tommies squad. The men will join the women in Truro, NS next weekend to play the 1-2 men’s Dalhousie Rams; while the women will play just one game, the men are set for a doubleheader on Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9.
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 were unsuccessful in containing a wicked mid-game surge by the MSVU Mystics in a rematch of last season’s ACAA Championship semifinal game this past Friday at the McMillan Centre, which handed them their first loss of the season.
After a great start to the 2024-25 season the previous weekend against UKC, Holland’s next challenge featured a visit by the reigning ACAA championship runner-ups, who came off the same previous opening weekend with a win and a loss.
The Hurricanes had a monumental start, going up 9-1 with contributions from veterans Alexa Rancourt (New Dominion, P.E.I.), Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia), and Molly Steadman (Coldbrook, N.S.). Moments later, a sudden burst of energy out of the Mystics closed the gap to 11-9, but Holland rebounded to go up 16-9. Yet another burst made the score 16-14 heading into the second quarter. A back-and-forth duel was the story of the early half of quarter two, with MSVU edging ahead 28-25 before a Hurricanes timeout. The Mystics then called a timeout minutes later, and that is what lit a fire underneath MSVU for the rest of the game.
Taking advantage of successful three-point shots and free throws, the Mystics soared to a 43-33 lead at halftime after outscoring Holland 29-17 in the second quarter alone, and they added to their monstrous efforts with a 55-35 lead. A Hurricanes timeout reset the tired squad and brought the score closer to 60-50 at the buzzer. In the fourth quarter, MSVU briefly had a better start, but crucial performances by rookie guard Karissa George (New Glasgow, N.S.) and second-year guard Robyne Driscoll (Portugal Cove St. Phillips, NL) brought Holland back within four points just before halfway. Both teams exchanged points for the rest of the quarter, with MSVU barely edging ahead to ultimately win the game 79-68.
Steadman led the Hurricanes with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Rancourt, Armstrong, and fourth-year guard Amy Plaggenhoef (Stratford, P.E.I.) were the only other Hurricanes to amass over 10 points. Driscoll recorded eight points while playing just nine minutes on the court.
The Hurricanes dropped to 1-1, placing them in a tie for fourth in the conference with UKC. Holland will play their final home game of the first half of the season next Sunday, Nov. 10 against the winless University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves.
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 faced similar circumstances to the women on Friday night at the McMillan Centre, as better playmaking and firepower and a more consistent offensive presence helped the men’s MSVU Mystics go on to record their third consecutive win.
After starting their 2024-25 season on a high note with a home-opening win the previous weekend, the men also had a rematch against an old foe from the 2024 ACAA Championships, who, like the women, beat them in semifinal action. MSVU earned two close victories at the end of October and entered November on a high, starting with a road trip to P.E.I. on Friday.
A tight battle ensued across one-and-a-half-quarters, with each team swapping points for a while. A series of Hurricanes timeouts in the middle of the second quarter is what eventually led to a team pulling away with a decent lead, as the timeouts went against Holland, and the game went from a 34-34 tie to a 54-39 lead for MSVU at halftime.
The point exchanges returned for most of the third quarter, but the Mystics began to slowly crawl further ahead in the closing minutes, going from leading by 15 to pulling out a 28-point deficit at the buzzer. Despite outsourcing MSVU 32-16 in the fourth quarter alone, the Hurricanes had nothing left in the tank to pull off a comeback, ultimately falling 104-92 for their first loss of the season.
Second-year guard Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) led the Hurricanes with 28 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Third-year guard Spencer Rossiter (Summerside, P.E.I.), second-year guard Michael Surur (Calgary, Alberta), second-year guard Jaidon Martin (Toronto, Ontario), and second-year forward Owen Parsons (Hebbville, N.S.) each contributed between 10 and 14 points. The group put in a courageous effort whilst dealing with the absence of past ACAA leading scorer and fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.).
The Hurricanes dropped to 1-1, putting them in a tie for fourth in the conference with STU. Like the women, the men will also have their final home match of the first half of the season this Sunday, Nov. 10 against the 2-1 men’s UNBSJ Seawolves.
Connect with the men’s basketball ‘Canes at www.x.com/canesmbball and www.instagram.com/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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