By Reegan MacAulay
Several Holland Hurricanes teams experienced mixed results on the road in the conclusion to the first half of their regular season ahead of the holiday break, including women’s volleyball, women’s hockey, and both basketball teams.
Here’s what happened in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) and Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) competition between Friday, Nov. 29 and Sunday, Dec. 1.
Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball Hurricanes did not have the ending they had hoped for in their final game of the first half of the regular season on Saturday, losing in straight sets to the Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) Mystics on the road in Halifax, N.S.
On Saturday, the first match against the team with six consecutive wins going into the weekend began with a 6-1 lead for the Mystics in the first set. Holland managed to narrow MSVU’s lead to 11-7 thanks to multiple kills by fourth-year middle Myah Utrosa (Brooklin, Ontario), but the Mystics went on to gain a 16-11 lead and eventually win 25-19.
The second set started with point-exchanging until the Hurricanes took a 15-13 lead off an ace by second-year setter Hannah Power (Corner Brook, NL), which was responded to by a five-point run by MSVU to make it 18-15. The Mystics held on to a tight lead the rest of the way, hanging on 25-22.
Despite an aggressive start by the Hurricanes in the third set, neither team could extend a lead to any more than two points. A kill by MSVU gave them a 23-20 lead, but two kills by third-year right-side Charlotte Sweetapple (Corner Brook, NL) narrowed the lead to 23-22. Unforced errors by each team led to the score going beyond 25 points, and a big kill by the Mystics sealed the deal for a 27-25 third-set win and a 3-0 game win.
Sweetapple recorded 14 kills and eight digs, with Power adding 32 assists and 11 digs, and fourth-year left-side Jenna O’Neill (Cornwall, P.E.I.) putting up 14 digs and five kills.
The Hurricanes are now 5-5 and on a three-game losing streak, which has them tied for fourth in the conference with UKC. Holland’s second half of the regular season will begin on Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12 with a McMillan Centre doubleheader against the 4-6 Dalhousie Rams.
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Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes ended their first half of the regular season on a high note, recording their fifth win in their last six games with a 79-55 triumph over the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies in Fredericton, N.B. on Sunday.
The game, which was initially on Friday but was rescheduled due to bad weather, was relatively tight to start, with the Tommies leading 14-12 after the first quarter. From the second quarter onward, Holland took full control of the game and never looked back, leading 33-28 at halftime, edging ahead 52-44 after the third quarter, and having a monstrous fourth quarter which earned the team a 24-point win.
The offensive storm was led by third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia), who recorded 24 points, nine assists, six rebounds, three steals, three three-pointers, and one block. Fifth-year guard Alexa Rancourt (New Dominion, P.E.I.) added 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Holland will enter 2025 with a 6-2 record and a two-game winning streak, which has them currently sitting tied for second in the conference with MSVU, and well inside the top tean the in the CCAA National rankings. The Hurricanes will be back at it on Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12 with a road trip to Saint John, N.B. to challenge the 1-7 UNBSJ Seawolves.
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Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes joined the women with their own successful ending to the first half of the regular season, edging the men’s STU Tommies 85-83 in a thriller of a match in Fredericton, N.B.
The Tommies had a fiery start, going up 29-18 by the end of the first quarter and carrying a solid 48-37 lead at halftime. Holland surprised STU with an explosive third quarter, outscoring the Tommies 28-17 and tying the overall score 65-65 going into the fourth quarter. A battle that could’ve gone either way went in favour of the Hurricanes, whose multiple layups in the closing minutes came in clutch for the team’s first win since Nov. 17, ending a two-game losing skid.
Fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) led the team with 23 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two three-pointers. Second-year guard Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) was not too far behind with 21 points, four rebounds, and one steal.
Entering 2025 with a 4-4 record, which has the squad sitting fourth in the standings, the men will join the women in Fredericton, N.B. on Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12 and take on the men’s 5-3 UNBSJ Seawolves.
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Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey Hurricanes wrapped up the 2024 portion of their regular season with a win and a loss against the Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers in Cape Breton, N.S.
On Saturday, Holland set off on the road for the second consecutive weekend, this time to take on the Capers for the first time since the Island Cup in October, a game won by CBU 4-2. A poor start by the Hurricanes led to back-to-back goals by the Capers, but not too long after, Holland struck back with two quick goals, including a beautiful post-to-post goal by third-year forward Abbey Gordon (Murray Harbour, P.E.I.) and a rebound goal by third-year forward Bri Hughes (Kinkora, P.E.I.).
Rookie forward Emma Carey (Yellowknife, N.T.) scored her first career ACHA goal to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead early in the second period. Later, a wild sequence of events saw the Capers tie the game, a Hurricanes player make a big hit, and captain and second-year forward Kristyn Taylor (Summerside, P.E.I.) rush into CBU’s zone and fire a shot over the shoulders of the Capers goaltender, giving Holland a 4-3 lead. In a nail-biting third period, third-year defenseman Emma Stuart (Bridgewater, N.S.) sealed the deal for a 5-3 Hurricanes win with a breakaway goal just past the halfway point.
On Sunday, things started a little better for Holland, but it was the Capers who got on the board first in the first period. Early in the second period, Carey potted a rebound goal to tie the game for Holland, which was followed by a sequence featuring a Capers goal (2-1), Stuart’s second goal of the weekend, another Capers goal, and Stuart’s third goal of the weekend (3-3). Unfortunately, CBU scored to make it 4-3 and managed to hold on from there till the final buzzer despite a valiant Hurricanes effort.
Fourth-year goaltender Emma Arsenault (Searletown, P.E.I.) started on Saturday and improved her record to 2-3-0. Rookie goaltender Olivia Holt (Cornwall, P.E.I.) made her first career ACHA start on Sunday and was strong despite the loss.
While CBU exited the weekend with a 1-3-0 record and their first win of the season, Holland will enter the second half with a 2-4-0 record, which currently has them second in the standings. The Hurricanes and Capers will have a doubleheader rematch in Cape Breton, N.S. when they both return to the ice on Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12.
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