Axewomen sweep Saint Mary’s on road behind strong defensive effort
The Acadia Axewomen earned a straight-sets victory over Saint Mary's on Wednesday night, winning 34-32, 25-20 and 26-24 at the Homburg Centre.
Acadia's defence set the tone throughout the match, recording 12 total blocks to secure the road win.
The opening set featured long rallies and momentum swings. Acadia opened the scoring with a kill from Alexia Lemay-Evans, assisted by Katie MacLean, but Saint Mary's responded with a strong mid-set push to build a 9-3 lead. Alena Piatukhova and Esther Wildeboer paced the Huskies during the stretch.
The Axewomen settled in and clawed back behind steady pressure and capitalized on attack errors. Acadia tied the set at 22-22 and forced extra points. In the closing moments, blocks from Jenna Guy and Brianna Bourque swung momentum, while kills from Mia Lemay-Evans and Guy kept Acadia in control. The set ended at 34-32 following a Saint Mary's attack error.
Acadia carried that momentum into the second set. After falling behind early, the Axewomen evened the score at 4-4 with help from Huskies errors and a service ace by Guy. A short run followed, highlighted by kills from Jenna Lake and a block by Bourque.
As the set progressed, Acadia maintained a steady lead through consistent offence from Lake and Guy. A block by Alexia Lemay-Evans and continued pressure at the net helped the Axewomen pull away. Acadia closed the set 25-20 to take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set opened decisively in Acadia's favour. The Axewomen jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind a service ace and block from Lake and a kill by Guy. Alexia Lemay-Evans and Mia Lemay-Evans added key blocks as Acadia forced early errors.
Saint Mary's responded and drew even at 10-10, led by Wildeboer and Brea De Souza. Acadia answered with a run of its own, as MacLean distributed the offence and Mia Lemay-Evans finished at the net to build an 18-12 advantage.
The Huskies mounted a late push to tie the set at 23-23, but Acadia closed the door with a timely kill from Lake and capitalized on errors to secure the set 26-24 and complete the sweep.
Lake led Acadia with 16.5 points, finishing with 12 kills, eight digs and three service aces. MacLean recorded 32 assists and nine digs. Mia Lemay-Evans posted six total blocks and six kills, while Alexia Lemay-Evans added nine kills and five blocks.
Wildeboer led Saint Mary's with 14 kills and 15 digs. Piatukhova recorded six kills and four blocks, while Emilia Mikanovich added 13 kills and 14 digs.
Game Notes:
Acadia is off next week before returning home to host Memorial for a doubleheader on Feb. 13 and 14.