Sea~Hawks Kicking Off the New Year with High Hopes for Playoff Run

It's been a long-time coming, but the Women's Volleyball team will finally have their home openers this weekend, as the Cape Breton Capers come to town for matches that were postponed in November due to winter weather conditions in Nova Scotia. The team is looking healthy heading into the second half and the team is excited to have veteran Erin Bursey back in the line-up after an ankle injury limited her playing time during the fall. The Women's Basketball team looks to play well this weekend and put away a possible 8 points in the standings with two wins over long time rivals Dalhousie. In Men's Basketball, the season is on the line this weekend, with pivotal four point games, so expect the team to leave it all on the floor as they try and secure some points in their quest to make the playoffs.

     

Weekend Schedule

Women's Volleyball
Saturday, Jan 7th 2:30pm CBU @ MUN- Go Pink Series Event,
Sunday, Jan 8th 4:30pm CBU @ MUN

     

Basketball – M&W
Saturday, Jan 7th - 6pm DAL @ MUN w
Saturday, Jan 7th - 8pm DAL @ MUN m

Sunday, Jan 8th - 11am DAL @ MUN w
Sunday, Jan 8th - 1pm DAL @ MUN m

     

Women's Volleyball

In what has seemed like the never ending road trip, the women's volleyball team has the opportunity to kick off the New Year at home and settle in to the second half of their schedule. With a mid November match against the CBU Capers postponed due to poor weather conditions, the match-up has been rescheduled to this weekend. The Sea-Hawks will take to the court before the basketball team with a 2:30pm match time Saturday and will compete again Sunday following the basketball games, with a match start time at 4:30pm. The Sea-Hawks have already faced the Capers this season, with the Capers edging out a 3-2 victory in a tight five set match during the opening AUS League Tournament the end of October. This early peek at the Capers should help the Sea-Hawks in the game plan heading into the weekend. Although the Sea-Hawks have a 1-6 record at this point, look for them to climb in league standings as they have faced the toughest part of their schedule during the fall semester.

     

Women's Basketball

The Sea-Hawks are coming off a Christmas exhibition series at Concordia that saw the team go 1-2 in a tough tournament. Coach Partridge felt the team played well in their opening win over McGill. The team then faced two tough challenges in Alberta and Carleton, two CIS championship contending teams. With not a great deal of depth, the Sea-Hawks played well in moments, but didn't bring a consistent game against Alberta and Carleton. However, the Sea-Hawks look fresh and the team should be up for a fan favorite match up against one of Memorial's long-time rivals the Dalhousie Tigers. The Tigers got off to a hot start to the AUS season led by Keisha Brown, a high scoring guard who transferred from Acadia. The team is a strong rebounding group who look to pound the offensive boards to create offense. They are led on the boards by forwards Caitlin Crosby, Anna Von Mahltzen and Tessa Stammberger a rookie and daughter of head coach Anna Stammberger. The team is welcoming back Alex Legge this semester, who sat out in the fall to concentrate on her medical school studies. If the Sea-Hawks can handle the athleticism of guards Brown and Courtney Thompson then they should do well against the Tigers. With eight points on the line, these games are huge in terms of securing valuable points on the road to the playoffs. The Tigers currently sit in 4th place in league standing, with a 2-3 record, while the Sea-Hawks currently hold 3rd place with a 4-2 record.

     

Men's Basketball

Hiding nothing, the Sea-Hawks know this weekend will dictate any playoff possibilities, making the eight points available a huge carrot for the team to chase. The holiday break, brought mixed results, with the team earning a tough win over Waterloo in a tight 78-74 finish, but lost to Toronto and ultimately Guelph in a holiday exhibition tournament at Ryerson. The team has to find a way to come together, leaving everything on the line this weekend. The Sea-Hawks roster has been challenged to find nights where each team member contributes in the role they need to play. This is a relatively veteran squad that needs to put pride on the line this weekend, playing all out from tip off to the final horn. Head Coach Benoite is confident that the team can handle the Tigers and do what it needs to do to collect two wins this weekend. The Tigers are currently 1-4 in league standings, while the Sea-Hawks are 1-5. DAL is a very different team this year, after having significant turnover from last year and have struggled in the first half of the year. The Tigers are coming off a successful Christmas Tournament in which they beat AUS second place team UPEI at home. They are being led by rookie point guard #11 Ritchie Kanza Mata. Kanza Mata, a freshman from Ontario who has taken over the starting duties for the team due in large part to his quickness and ability to break down defenders and make plays. He joins Acadia transfer Casey Fox who sat out last season. Fox is boasting an 18ppg average and can put up some big numbers when he has the hot hand.

     

With 8 points available this weekend, the Sea~Hawks could move themselves into 6th place in league standings. Offensively, the team has plenty of power but to achieve any success moving forward he team must continue to commit to solid defense as they did during their holiday exhibition tournament save for one quarter. Fans should be prepared for two riveting games against the Tigers.

     

The Sea-Hawks need the support of the community to give them the HOME COURT advantage that Sea-Hawks athletes have come to love. Get your RED on and come support the team this weekend. Tickets available by calling 864-3000