Huskies win last three sets, defeat Tigers 3-2

(HALIFAX, N.S.) - The Saint Mary's Huskies came all the way back to win 3-2 against the Dalhousie Tigers tonight after the Tigers won the first two sets. The Huskies downed the CIS No. 9-ranked Tigers at their home opener in front of a big crowd at the Dalplex.

Dalhousie looked dominant in the first set, with Maggie Li and Desiree Nouwen leading the charge. Nouwen ended the set with an emphatic kill after a long rally and the Tigers won 25-20.

The Huskies turned up their defence in the second set, led by Shelby Michaels, who had a game-high 32 digs on the night. Neither team could seem to gain an edge on the other for the rest of the set, until a huge block by Tigers' Rachel Wright and Marlee Powers gave the Tigers a 22-20 lead. Coach Rick Scott took a timeout and the Tigers went out and won the second set 25-23.

Saint Mary's came out in the third set with a sense of urgency, not wanting to drop their first game against their cross-town rivals. The Huskies were up 20-16 when the Tigers made a small surge, but just as things looked like they were about to swing back in Dalhousie's favor, Rachel Windhorst came up with a huge block on Maggie Li, making the score 22-19 for the Huskies. Windhorst, who had 12 kills on the day, followed up with a kill to make it 23-21 for the Huskies.

Huskies head coach Darren Russell quickly called a timeout to help his squad collect themselves, but two kills in a row by Desiree Nouwen tied the score at 24. The Huskies would rally to win the series 27-25.

The fourth set saw more back and forth action with neither team giving an inch. Both teams stepped up their game defensively, but Josie LeDuc's blew a serve past the Tigers and the Huskies went on to win the set 26-24.

The Huskies rode the momentum and continued put on a defensive clinic in the fifth set, winning 15-10.

Desiree Nouwen led the Tigers with 20 kills and 22.5 points.

The Tigers will look to regroup with a game against the Cape Breton Capers on Saturday at the Dalplex, while the Huskies face the Capers on Sunday.

Source: Dalhousie Sports Information