Huskies Repeat as AUS Women’s Volleyball Champions

The first set was tight, as to be expected with the Championship on the line. The Huskies opened up a quick 6-3 lead off a block from Alena Piatukhova, but the REDS scored four straight points off of Heather Benko's service to take the lead. Another long service run by Lydia Green, paired with outstanding play from right side Sonya Nielsen, helped UNB take a 16-8 advantage. The Huskies clawed back, with a pair of Emilia Mikanovich service aces, bookending a Alena Piatukhova kill putting the hosts ahead 20-19. But UNB closed the set with an ace from Ella Green, and a kill from Isla Olesen gave the visitors a 25-23 first set win. 

The second set was another evenly matched affair, showcasing the slim difference between the AUS' top two teams. A service run from Huskies first year middle Jordan Parsons put them ahead 13-10, but UNB kept it close. Late in the set, Emilia Mikanovich delivered a kill to bring the Huskies within match point at 24-21. But the REDS pulled off a shocking comeback, with kills from Lydia Green, Sonya Nielsen, and an ace from Heather Benko helping deliver a 26-24 second set win, and bringing the REDS a set away from sending the series back to Fredericton for game three. 

But the defending champs wouldn't go down without a fight. Setter Grace Blaskovits game off the Huskies bench and made a big impact, both with her passing and service in the third set, going on a service run to help the Huskies take a 16-11 advantage. UNB got back-to-back kills from Talia Nixon and Isla Olesen to cut the deficit to 20-18, but Saint Mary's finished the set with a pair of kills from middle Alena Piatukhova, delivering a 25-19 third set win and keeping their championship hopes alive. 

The sold-out Homburg Centre crowd brought the energy all night long, but especially in the fourth and fifth sets, as the Huskies continued to control the momentum. Aces from Jordin Parsons and Alena Piatukhova helped put the Huskies ahead 7-4, but the REDS came storming back, with a service run from Sonya Nielsen and several kills from Heather Benko giving the visitors a 10-8 advantage. After back-to-back aces from setter Talia Nixon put UNB ahead 13-11, Saint Mary's called a timeout and Piatukhova responded by scoring five of the next six points, giving SMU a 15-14 advantage. That's when Emilia Mikanovich took over, going on a five-point service run, capped by an ace to put the Huskies in front 20-14. UNB hung around, but the AUS MVP was too much to handle, scoring the Huskies final two points to secure a 25-21 win and force a decisive fifth set.  

With the Homburg Centre crowd in an absolute frenzy, the Huskies took care of business in the fifth set. Once again, UNB took an early 5-3 advantage off of a kill from middle Danielle Krzywonos, but yet another Mikanovich service run helped the Huskies take the lead, with her ace and kills from Piatukhova, Esther Wildeboer and Brea De Souza giving SMU a 7-5 advantage. After the teams switched sides, Piatukhova went on a service run of her own, scoring five straight points to extend the Huskies lead to 13-6. A pair of REDS kills were interrupted by a kill from Esther Wildeboer to bring the Huskies within match point, and a UNB error gave Saint Mary's a 15-8 win, securing the championship comeback and sending the Homburg Centre crowd into a frenzy, as the Huskies defended their AUS Championship in dramatic fashion. 

Saint Mary's left side Emilia Mikanovich was named Bell AUS Championship Most Valuable Player, recording a match-high 28.0 points on 21 kills, five aces, two blocks and added 13 digs.  

"We felt like we should have won that second set, but I had no doubt that we were going to win anyway, we didn't want to go to New Brunswick again, we all wanted to win today," said Mikanovich post-game. 

Setter Grace Blaskovits was named Boston Pizza Player of the Match, coming off the bench to dish out a team-high 24 assists, adding 13 kills and a kill, and middle Alena Piatukhova contributed 15.5 points on 11 kills, 3.5 blocks and an ace. 

The REDS were led in defeat by outside hitter Heather Benko's 15 points on 13 kills, two aces, three assists and 10 digs, while Lydia Green chipped in 14.5 points on 14 kills, 0.5 blocks, five assist and 15 digs, and setter Talia Nixon dished out a match high 34 assists, adding 10.5 points on eight kills, 1.5 blocks and an ace.  

With the win, the Huskies punch their ticket to their third straight appearance at U SPORTS Nationals, being hosted March 13-15, by Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. 

"I'm so proud of this group of girls, we've worked our butts off this whole year," said Huskies captain, setter Taylor Lougheed post-game. "We were in a situation a month ago where we might not even make playoffs, so we've felt that pressure, we know how to win in these situations, and this group is just so awesome." 

"I can't thank our fans enough for this atmosphere, it was incredible, all the student-athletes coming out to support us, and there's just no place like SMU honestly!" added Lougheed. "We've already got that 'why not us' mentality coming into the playoffs this season, and I think we're just going to keep that mentality heading into nationals one game at a time!"