By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes had a solid return to ACAA and ACHA regular-season action in their first weekend of 2025, with perfect weekends for the women’s basketball and men’s volleyball teams highlighting the return.
Here’s what went down in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) and Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) competition between Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes will have to wait a little longer to figure out and solve their current struggles, as they racked up just one set victory across two home game losses against the Dalhousie Rams this past weekend.
On Saturday, the Rams took advantage right off the hop with a much stronger blocking effort, winning the first set 25-16. In set two, the Hurricanes jumped out to an 8-5 lead thanks to multiple kills and attack errors, but their lead was quickly swallowed up by Dalhousie, who went up 10-5 and eventually 19-15. Then, Holland rallied with an outstanding comeback effort, tying the score and hanging on to win the set 25-23.
Points were exchanged for most of set three, but the Rams pulled ahead in the end to take the set 25-18. The fourth set was similar but had a much more intense ending, with Dalhousie looking to close the game and Holland pushing to force an extra set. As much as the Hurricanes showed strength in not giving up and having numerous chances to win the set, it wasn’t enough, with the Rams hanging on by a wild 29-27 final score.
Sunday’s game featured a similar start to Saturday’s game with Dalhousie pulling ahead in the first set 16-11. Despite a rally that saw Holland get within one at 20-19, the Rams went on to take the first set 25-20. Dalhousie jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set but the Hurricanes caught up to be down 10-8, and that deficit was then steamrolled as the Rams took charge the rest of the way, taking the set 25-18. Dalhousie had a monstrous third set, taking 6-1, 9-3, and 15-5 leads, with a 25-13 lead being the final score in a straight-set match.
Fourth-year left-side Jenna O’Neill (Cornwall, P.E.I.) led the team with 18 kills and 26 digs across two games. Other notable contributors were third-year right-side Charlotte Sweetapple (Corner Brook, NL), who recorded 13 kills and nine digs, and rookie setter/libero Marissa O’Donnell (Fredericton, N.B.), who had a strong presence on the court; she added 49 assists and eight digs. As for Dalhousie, second-year middle Callie Immerkar, from Manitoba, was the weekend’s star, recording 29 kills, 17 digs, and 10 service aces.
The Hurricanes are now 5-7, placing them in a tie with UKC for fifth in the conference with 10 points each; they are now on a five-game losing streak. The Rams improved to 6-6 after the doubleheader and leapfrogged to fourth in the conference, now on a three-game winning streak and having six wins in their last seven games.
Holland looks to break the streak next weekend on a road trip to Halifax, N.S., where they’ll play the University of King’s ÎçÒ¹av (UKC) Blue Devils for the first time this season; the game dates are Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19. UKC started the second half of the regular season with a close 3-2 loss to MSVU this past Saturday, which extended their losing streak to two games and dropped their record to 5-6.
Connect with the women’s volleyball ‘Canes at and
.
Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball Hurricanes had a phenomenal beginning to the second half of their 2024-25 regular season campaign, recording back-to-back straight-set wins against the men’s Dalhousie Rams and extending their winning streak to five games.
On Saturday, each team immediately showcased a wild back-and-forth match in set one until a series of Holland points forced a Dalhousie timeout; that led to the Hurricanes jumping ahead from up 13-9 to taking the first set 25-14. While the Rams kept close for most of set two, Holland remained ahead by a decent margin the whole way and went on to take it 25-18. Dalhousie jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third and final set but that was quickly swallowed up by the Hurricanes, who ran away with the set albeit a close effort by the Rams. Holland won the set 25-18 and the game 3-0.
On Sunday, the Hurricanes were met with a much stronger showing by Dalhousie, who kept things close and uncomfortable the entire game but couldn’t find a way to match Holland’s dominance in controlling each set. The Hurricanes barely held on in set one 25-21 and set two 25-23 thanks to some strong kills. In set three, it was like an early goodbye wave to the Rams, as Holland took an early 6-1 lead and fought against a Dalhousie timeout to eventually win 25-11.
Third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) continued to prove his status as arguably the best player in the conference, recording 31 kills, 14 digs, and four assists across both games. Second-year left-side Dominik Pineau (Cornwall, P.E.I.) and second-year setter John MacKinnon (York, P.E.I.) also impressed, with Pineau recording 12 kills and five digs, and MacKinnon adding 44 assists and 13 digs.
The Hurricanes are now 8-4 and tied with the STU Tommies for second in the conference with 16 points each; both teams are now four points behind the league-leading USTA Dragons. The Rams are now 2-10 and had their losing streak extended to seven games, keeping them tied with Crandall for fifth in the conference.
Holland will take the next weekend off and prepare for the weekend after when they head to Moncton, N.B. to challenge the Crandall University Chargers, who are on a seven-game losing streak and haven’t won since Nov. 3, 2024. The two teams last played each other in Holland’s home-opening doubleheader in late Oct. 2024, which was swept by the Hurricanes 3-2 and 3-0.
Connect with the men’s volleyball ‘Canes at and
.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes can now say they are on top of the world, as their two victories against the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) Seawolves in Saint John, N.B. this past weekend have them in a tie for the conference lead.
On Saturday, Holland came out of the gates on fire, with multiple points in the early minutes forcing a Seawolves timeout. Leading 25-10 at the end of the first quarter, Holland continued to hold a fair lead throughout the second quarter but UNBSJ slowly inched closer every minute, coming as close as down 40-34 at halftime and outscoring the Hurricanes 24-15 in the quarter alone. The Hurricanes regained their composure and went on an explosive 10-0 run early in the third quarter, eventually outscoring the Seawolves 23-4 in the quarter alone. The fourth quarter was surprisingly quiet point-wise, and while UNBSJ outscored Holland 11-7, it wasn’t near enough to rebound from poor first and third-quarter performances, ultimately giving the Hurricanes a 70-49 game win.
On Sunday, Holland had yet another fantastic game start, leading 18-10 at the end of quarter one, but the Seawolves weren’t ready to give up, matching Holland’s second-quarter points with 16 to be down by eight at halftime. The Hurricanes maintained control in the third quarter, outscoring UNBSJ 20-16, and using a 21-8 fourth-quarter score to take the game 75-50.
Multiple Hurricanes players took turns leading the fort in each game, but, it was fourth-year guard Amy Plaggenhoef (Stratford, P.E.I.) who was, statistically, the best overall across the two games, recording 35 points, a 10-for-16 three-point record, six steals, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia) added 29 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block, and fifth-year forward Alexa Rancourt (New Dominion, P.E.I.) scored 25 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and two blocks.
The Hurricanes are now 8-2 and on a four-game winning streak; they are tied for the conference lead with MSVU, who has one more game played and an 8-3 record. The Seawolves dropped to 1-9 after the weekend, remaining sixth in the conference with two points.
Holland will be placed in a key situation next weekend; they will play at the McMillan Centre for the first time in 2025 against the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies on Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19 and be challenged to extend their winning streak and potentially take the conference lead for good in front of their home crowd. STU is 3-5, on a three-game losing streak, and sitting fifth in the conference, eight points back of UKC. The Hurricanes and Tommies last played each other on Dec. 1, 2024 in Fredericton, N.B., with Holland winning 79-55.
Connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at and
.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes fell short of exiting the recent weekend with a three-game winning streak and two wins to start the new year, splitting a middle-of-the-pack doubleheader against the men’s UNBSJ Seawolves in Saint John, N.B.
Saturday’s game was near-evenly matched as each team showed bursts of dominance and had fans paying attention the entire time. The Seawolves crawled out of the first quarter with a 23-19 lead and had a terrific start to the second quarter, but the Hurricanes kept close, allowing for a 45-37 UNBSJ lead at halftime. Holland surprised everybody with a ferocious third quarter dominated by fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.), who scored 16 points in the quarter alone, which helped his team outscore the Seawolves 25-15 to lead 62-60 going into the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes outscored UNBSJ 23-18 in the quarter alone, and despite a courageous effort by the Seawolves in the final minute, they couldn’t close the gap, ultimately giving Holland the game-win 85-78.
Sunday’s game was a flip of the previous day’s match in ways. UNBSJ dominated the first quarter, leading 24-13 heading into quarter two. The Hurricanes rallied to match the Seawolves in quarter two points 18-18 but were still down 42-31 at halftime. Both teams contested a relatively even third quarter, with UNBSJ squeezing ahead 67-53. Despite a big effort in the fourth quarter to force extra time, Holland’s seven-point advantage in the quarter alone wasn’t enough for a doubleheader sweep, losing the game 86-79.
Corless’ performance on Saturday was his best of the season and one of his best in his Hurricanes tenure as he recorded 37 points, 12 field goals made on 23 attempts, five three-pointers made on 11 attempts, six rebounds, two steals, and one assist; he added 17 points, seven field goals on 14 attempts, three three-pointers on five attempts, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block on Sunday. Second-year guard Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) and second-year forward Owen Parsons (Hebbville, N.S.) contributed a combined 57 points over the weekend.
The Hurricanes improved to 5-4 after Saturday but dropped to 5-5 after Sunday, ultimately coming out of the weekend in the same conference position; fourth with 10 points, two back of UNBSJ, who dropped to 5-4 after Saturday but improved to 6-4 after Sunday and are third in the conference.
The men’s Hurricanes will join the women with their own home-game doubleheader at the McMillan Centre next weekend as the men’s STU Tommies come to town on Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19. The men’s Tommies are 3-5, fifth in the conference, and four points back of Holland; they last played each other on Dec. 1, 2024, with Holland winning a nail-biter n Fredericton, N.B. 85-83.
Connect with the men’s basketball Hurricanes at and
.
Women’s Hockey
It was not the return the women’s hockey Hurricanes wanted when they revisited Cape Breton Island this past weekend for a doubleheader rematch against the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers, as they lost both games and dropped a spot in the standings. Despite the unfortunate results, positives included strong goaltending and the team rallying the best they could while missing a few key players.
On Saturday, the Hurricanes got off to a fantastic start, as captain and second-year forward Kristyn Taylor (Summerside, P.E.I.) scored on a power play with a shot from the offensive-zone blue line, and rookie forward Gabrielle LeBlanc (Middleton, N.S.) extended the team’s lead to 2-0 with a breakaway goal, her first in the ACHA. The Capers had a much better start in the second period, getting within one, and then tying the game in the third period, which forced overtime. A rebound goal on a power play gave CBU their second consecutive win, improving to 2-3-0 and dropping Holland’s record to 2-4-1.
On Sunday, a similar pattern to the previous day’s game occurred, with the Hurricanes getting on the board first with a first-career ACHA goal by rookie defenseman Emmy Parsons (Sackville, N.B.). After CBU tied the game 1-1, Holland quickly responded as third-year defenseman Emma MacKinnon (Cornwall, P.E.I.) scored a goal from the point to give her squad a 2-1 lead after one period. Early in the second period, the Capers tied the score 2-2 with a breakaway goal, and the game remained back and forth from there with emotions running high. The first half of the third period saw CBU score twice to take a 4-2 lead.
As the closing minutes approached, Taylor sprang on a breakaway and scored a beautiful backhand-to-forehand goal, her second of the weekend, to get Holland back within one goal at 4-3. Unfortunately, even with a 6-on-3 advantage in the final minute (two power plays and a pulled goaltender), the Hurricanes couldn’t force an extra period, ultimately causing their losing streak to extend to three games and their record to drop to 2-5-1. CBU improved to 3-3-0, leapfrogging Holland for second in the standings.
Fourth-year goaltender Emma Arsenault (Searletown, P.E.I.) started in the net in both games. While her record dropped to 2-4-1, she made some spectacular saves and gave her squad multiple opportunities to stay alive and fight in front of her through each match.
Now separated by one point in the standings but in different positions compared to before the doubleheader, the Hurricanes and Capers are set to battle for the third consecutive time (and final time before the ACHA Championships) on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I. It’ll be back-to-back weekends of home-game doubleheaders for Holland, as they play CBU across Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, and then play Acadia the next weekend for the first time since Nov. 2024.
Connect with the women’s hockey ‘Canes at and .
For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, visit , , and .
-30-
140 Weymouth Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4Z1
Tel: 1-800-446-5265 | Fax: 902-629-4239