It will be a busy day at the Holland College Centre for Community Engagement in Charlottetown on Saturday when the Hurricanes and St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies square off in four Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) regular season games.
Basketball willtake the court first with the women playing at 1pm followed by the men at 3pm; the volleyball teams will then take over the facility with the men on the court at 6pm before the women close out the day at 8pm.
The Hurricanes will also be recognizing teams that earned banners during this past fall. The men’s and women’s soccer teams, plus the men’s cross-country running team, all who won ACAA championships. The men’s baseball team will also be recognized for claiming a national bronze medal at the Canadian National Baseball Championships in Oshawa, ON.
Once the ceremonies are complete, the Hurricanes will be looking to earn important regular season victories on Saturday.
The women’s basketball ‘Canes enter the weekend in third place in the conference standings at 2-1, having won two straight games, while their opponents from STU lead the ACAA with a perfect record of 4-0.
Nobody’s offence has been hotter in the ACAA then that of the Hurricanes this season, they’re averaging 82 points per game while the Tommies are fifth at 68. Defensively, however, it’s the exact opposite, with the Tommies leading the conference, allowing only 51.3 points against with the ‘Canes allowing 71; fifth ranked in the ACAA.
All eyes will be on Ashley Plaggenhoef for the ‘Canes this weekend; she’s averaged 17.7 points per game this season while Sophie Atkinson has averaged 15.7.
The men’s Hurricanes enter Saturday after suffering a loss last weekend to the Mount Allison University Mounties; it was their first loss since November 26, 2017.
The ‘Canes 2-1 record is good enough for third in the ACAA while the Tommies are 3-1 and in second place.
Statistically the ‘Canes have been slightly better offensively than the Tommies to open the season, averaging 85 points per game to the Tommies 78.5. Defensively however, the Tommies have the slight edge, averaging 70.5 points against while the ‘Canes have allowed 74.3.
The ‘Canes offense has primarily been on the shoulders of Jordan Holness over the last three games; he’s averaged 26.7 points per game with Jayden McMullen scoring 14.3, the next highest average for the ‘Canes.
On the volleyball court, the men’s Hurricanes are looking to turn their slow start to the regular season around. The defending ACAA champions are 1-4 and in fourth place after a pair of losses to the University of New Brunswick-Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves last weekend. The Tommies enter the weekend at 2-1 and in second in the ACAA.
Despite their struggles the ‘Canes have averaged the second most points per set in the ACAA with 13.1; the Tommies lead this statistical category however, averaging 15.3 points per set.
Offensively for the ‘Canes, Nick Blewett has averaged 2.67 kills per set this season, the best on the roster, while Gordon Veitch has been the teams top defensive player, averaging 2.1 digs per set.
The day will conclude with the women’s volleyball ‘Canes taking the court; they’re undefeated with a record of 4-0, while the Tommies are 2-2 and in fifth place. This will be the second meeting between the two teams; the ‘Canes won on November 10 in straight-sets in Fredericton, NB.
The Hurricanes offence has been flawless this season averaging 18 points per set, the best in theconference, while the Tommies have averaged 12.1, sixth in the ACAA.
Statistically the ‘Canes offence has been evenly distributed this season. Sam Gerbig has led the attack with 4.6 points averaged per set, while Kateia Barenaba (3.4) and Abby Hyndman (3.2) have both averaged over three points per set. Dana Trainor has been relied on to lead the way defensively for the Hurricanes, averaging 3.22 digs per set.
The weekend will not end on Saturday for the women’s volleyball Hurricanes; they will travel to Halifax, Nova Scotia on Sunday to take on the University of King’s College (UKC) Blue Devils at 3pm.
The Blue Devils are 2-2 this season and in fifth place. They’ve been a strong offensive team this season with the third highest average of points per set with 12.8.
For more information on the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association, please visit
www.acaa.ca.
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For media inquiries please contact:
Daniel Cudmore
Athletics Development and Communications Coordinator
Department of Athletics and Recreation
Holland College
(902) 894-6870
dccudmore@hollandcollege.com
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For more information about this release, please contact:
Daniel Cudmore, Athletics Development and Communications Coordinator
Tel: (902) 894-6870
