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Sea~Hawks Swim Strong into Break, Court Teams Struggle to Gain Points
Three Teams found themselves at the DAL Plex in Halifax this weekend and the results were varied. In Men's and Women's Volleyball action, critical errors during signifcant points in matches kept both volleyball teams from the win column, while Coach Brad Hutton travelled a very young swim team that swam strong and gives the Sea~Hawks a positive outlook for the 2012 portion of the season. Meanwhile, at home on the basketball court the men continued to struggle while the women came back strong from a major letdown on Saturday night to assert themselves heading into Final exams.
Swimming
The Sea-Hawks competed in the Dalhousie Invitational this weekend, with Saturday results only available at time of circulation. McGill, UPEI, Dalhousie, Acadia competed in the event and the Sea-Hawks enjoyed some good results. Leah Tomblin started out strong, qualifying for finals in the 50fly and 200IM with best times, but had to miss competing in the finals as a result of back spasms.
On the women's side, Dayna Hogan had her best swims of the season. She was 1:01.03 in the 100m Freestyle finishing 10th in consolations. Rookie Jessica Noseworthy swam lifetime bests in the 50m Breaststroke 38.81 and 200m Breaststroke 3:02.38, both in consolation finals
On the men's side Ryan Allen also swam personal bests in the 200m IM 2:16.38 placing 8th in finals and 50m Breaststroke breaking 32.0 for the first time with 31.91 in consolations. Matt Roberts had a personal best in the 200m IM with a 2:16.74. Richard Hibbs placed 9th in the 200m Breaststroke and a 31.69 was 13th in the 50m Breaststroke. Matthew Avis had one of our most exciting swims racing to a 4:21.16 in the 400m Freestyle finishing 15th overall.
The men's rookies made a strong impression. Brandon Billard raced to 6th place in the 200m Butterfly 2:24.52 and hitting his best time in prelims with a 2:21.04. Billard also swam his best 50m Butterfly and finished 14th. Curtis McKay was 9th in the 50m Fly with a 27.49 and 13th in the 100m Freestyle with a 54.48. Reniel Engelbrecht finished 11th with a 28.10 in the 50m Fly.
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team faced off against the UPEI Panthers at home Saturday night and the game got off to a pretty good start, with the Sea-Hawks leading after the 1st quarter 18-14. As the 2nd quarter unfolded, the Sea-Hawks struggled to make good on numerous scoring chances and through the first half, the Sea-Hawks shot just 38% from the floor. Defensively, the Sea-Hawks made some errors and allowed UPEI to stay in the game, edging the Panthers 36-31 at the half. The Sea-Hawks returned to the second half, without the services of starting wing Grace Fishbein who was feeling ill after the first half. The Sea-Hawks seemed to lack confidence in the second half and they continued to struggle on offense and made a number of defensive errors. At the end of the third quarter, the Sea-Hawks were down by 4, as the Panthers edged Memorial 56-52. The Sea-Hawks pressured UPEI throughout the 4th quarter, but Jenna Jones and Emily MacEachern hit some keys shots down the stretch, while Amy Gough found her way to the free throw line keep the Panthers just ahead of the Sea-Hawks. Although making a late run, the Sea-Hawks combination of turnovers and poor shooting percentage, kept them from edging past the Panthers, with UPEI hanging on for a 77-73 win. Robyn O'Reilly led the way for the Sea-Hawks with 22point and 7 rebounds, while Ally Forsey add 18points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
On Sunday morning, the Sea-Hawks quickly demonstrated they were out for a better performance. After the first quarter, the Sea-Hawks held a convincible lead over the Panthers at 34-18. Ally Forsey was strong in the post and Robyn O'Reilly continued her sharp shooting from outside. Kim Devison also came out with a strong offensive start to the game and the Sea-Hawks looked like a different team from the start. By half-time, the Sea-Hawks held a 22 point lead and the Sea-Hawks were leading the Panthers 55-33. In the third quarter, the Sea-Hawks continued to play well offensively, but gave UPEI some opportunities with turnovers and defensive lapses. The Sea-Hawks were still able to open up as much as a 42 point lead over the Panthers by the end of the third quarter, led by Kim Devison, Ally Forsey and Robyn O'Reilly. As the 4th quarter got underway, the Sea-Hawks seemed to feel the game was over and lost focus, while UPEI continued to play hard and try to find ways to get back in the game. The Panthers made a run in the 4th quarter and outscored the Sea-Hawks 26-8, but the game never got closer than a 24 point margin in the second half with the final score 95-71. Sammy Kavanagh made some solid contributions in her debut this season, scoring 9 points and adding 3 assists in just 17 minutes of playing time. Ally Forsey played well on consecutive nights, with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists on Sunday, while Robyn O'Reilly added 23 points and 2 assists. Kim Devison went perfect from the floor, going 5-5, including 3-3 from beyond the arc, adding 15 points and 8 assists. The Sea-Hawks now enjoy a break until post-Christmas from AUS play and currently are in first place in league standing.
Men's Basketball
The Sea-Hawks men's basketball team hoped to regroup at home, after two tough road losses at UNB the previous weekend. Coach Peter Benoite, knew UPEI was athletic and up tempo and the Panthers had taken two wins over SMU at home the previous weekend.
UPEI showed their athleticism from the start and their up tempo style gave them some easy fast break opportunities. The Sea-Hawks struggled to find their rhythm offensively in the 1st quarter and after the first 10 minutes, the Panthers led 25-15. The Sea-Hawks knew stepping up their defensive intensity would be required to get back in the game and the team played solid in the 2nd quarter, heading into half-time 41-39, despite Memorial just shooting less than 35% from the floor.
In the second half, Manock Lual continued to break the Sea-Hawks defense down and get inside to create good scoring opportunities. UPEI showed some pressure on defense and forced the Sea-Hawks into a number of key turnovers. The Sea-Hawks seemed to lose their confidence at this point and after three quarters it was UPEI 71-56. Although shooting better from the floor, the Sea-Hawks didn't shut down Lual who scored 33 points and had 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Robbie Habib was tops for the Sea-Hawks with 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Jason Shepherd added 13points.
On Sunday, the Sea-Hawks came out of the gate slow and a couple of early turnovers and fouls led UPEI on a 0-12 run. After the 1st quarter, the Sea-Hawks were down 29-18, but competed hard in the second quarter going even with the Panthers at 24-24. Coming out of half-time, the Sea-Hawks were still down 11, but continued to try and claw their way back in the game. A couple of tough calls gave UPEI the advantage and the Sea-Hawks could never close the gap. UPEI stayed tough on the boards, out-rebounding the Sea-Hawks 39-21. Final score was UPEI 98 Sea-Hawks 74. Robbie Habib led the stat sheet with 19 points and 4 rebounds, Mark Woodland added 13 points and 6 assists.
Women's Volleyball
The women's volleyball team continued their road travel, with a two match series against the AUS 1st place Dalhousie Tigers. The Sea-Hawks first match of the series went the distance, with the Sea-Hawks losing 15-17 in the 5th set. The Sea-Hawks lost the first game 22-25, won the 2nd (25-14) and 3rd set (25-19), but couldn't close out the match in the 4th, losing 25-27. The Dalhousie Tigers won the last game 15-17. The team had 57 kills but made 41 hitting errors, ultimately leading to their loss in the match. Sam March lead the team with 19 kills and 14 digs. Angela Peddle had 11 kills and 11 blocks. Chantel Jones had 10 kills Erin Bursey chipped in with 8 kills and 16 digs.
On Sunday, the team struggled with their passing, but won the first game 25-20, but struggled thereafter losing 19-25, 16-25, 16-25. Angela Peddle led the way with 10 kills and 5 blocks. Sam March and Chantel Jones had 10 kills apiece. Although currently 7th in AUS standings, the Sea-Hawks are just 2 points out of 6th place and will compete directly against teams in the bottom end of the standings after the Christmas break.
There will be Christmas Volleyball Training Camp for girls in Grades 7 through 10 from Dec 28th- 30th at the MUN Gymnasium. More information can be found here. For directions on where to register please e-mail.
Men's Volleyball
The Men's Volleyball team also competed at Dalhousie against the Tigers. The Sea-Hawks played well Saturday, but lost the match 3-1. The Sea-Hawks won the first set 25-22, but couldn't hold off the Tigers and lost the next three games 16-25, 17-25, 21-25. Andrew Stephens was named player of the match for Memorial.
On Sunday, the Sea-Hawks lost to the Tigers in 3 games. Set scores were 16-25, 19-25, 20-25. Andrew Stephens led the way with 16 kills and was named player of the match. Brad Pitcher had 27 assists and 6 digs. The team looks forward to competing at home for the first time this fall and to Memorial hosting its first ever Quebec AUS Interlock Tournament.
This Weekend's Upcoming Action (Nov 25-26)
Men's Volleyball AUS-RSEQ Interlock Tournament
Match Times for Memorial Sea-Hawks
Friday 8pm vs Montreal
Saturday 11am vs Laval
Saturday 8pm vs Sherbrooke
Complete schedule of events at goseahawks.ca. Competing teams include DAL, UNB, Memorial, Sherbrooke, Laval and Montreal.
Saturday night's match will feature a Teddy Toss and all fans are asked to bring along a Teddy Bear to toss at center court during the 1st and 2nd set match break.