Weekly Preview

Sea~Hawks home opener in men's volleyball; Women's volleyball in Moncton for Interlock; AUS cross country championships; soccer home action on the turf against X

This weekend things really get rolling for the Memorial University Sea~Hawks. The men's and women's cross country running teams will be off to Halifax for the AUS championships. The men's volleyball team hosts the AUS champion Dalhousie Tigers at the Field House on Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 11am. The women's volleyball team will play national calibre teams at the Interlock in Moncton to open their season. The soccer teams will finish their home regular season off against St. FX at the new field turf facility on Smallwood Drive. Game times are Saturday (1 p.m. and 3:15 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.).

Cross Country Running

On Saturday morning at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, the Memorial men’s and women’s cross-country teams will be competing for an AUS Championship. The meet is being hosted by Saint Mary’s University and will feature the best the AUS has to offer. With injuries still plaguing the women’s squad, watch for veterans Jessica Coffey and Tracy Hussey to lead the way, along with MUN Run 5k winner Allison Grant. The women will be joined by Katie Little, Melanie Benson, Melissa Campbell, and Stephanie Minor.

On the men’s side, Sean Hulburt who won last weekend’s Mun Run 5k will be back from injury and is expected to do well this weekend. The Sea~Hawks’ Jared Walsh who has been their top finisher in both meets this season is also expected to help the team as they aim to improve on last year’s third place finish. Joining them will be Andrew Casey, Jon Slaney, Mike Minor, Ryan Brown, and Tyler Cole.

The women will get the first crack at banner when they hit the trails at 12 PM for a 5k race, followed by the men’s 10k event at 12:45 PM.

Men’s Volleyball

Memorial’s men’s volleyball team will open their AUS season at home on Saturday night as they host the Dalhousie Tigers at 7 p.m. at the Field House.

The Sea~Hawks will face tough competition from a Tigers team that has won 23 straight AUS titles and only has two players in their first year of eligibility. On the other side of the net, Memorial will bring five new faces to the court, joining an already very young group of returning players.

Watch for 2008-09 AUS Rookie of the Year Scott Hickman, and newcomer Nathan Tilley to get things done in the middle. The team had some success in a preseason exhibition tournament against RMC. Brad Jolliffe and Jamie Gillingham will be called upon to lead the team defensively.

Dalhousie will be the favorite but Memorial will be competitive with the rush of the home crowd behind them. Gander native Max Burt will be suiting up for Dalhousie. The 6’11 outside hitter was a key member of the 2009 Newfoundland and Labrador Canada Games team.

The teams will be back on the court at the Field House at 11 a.m. on Sunday November 1st.

Women’s Volleyball

The Sea~Hawk’ women’s volleyball team will kick off their AUS season at an Interlock Tournament with four Quebec universities hosted by the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick.

On Friday night the women will kick things off when they face the Université de Montréal, who are ranked 2nd in the CIS to start the season. On Saturday the Sea~Hawks will be busy starting the morning off with a match against a very good Sherbrooke team, followed by a match against the 6th ranked CIS Laval Rouge et Or. Closing out the weekend, Memorial will take on the McGill University Marlets, who just cracked the CIS top 10 with a 9th place ranking to start their season.

This weekend will prove to be a challenge for the ‘Hawks facing three nationally ranked universities, but the experience of high level competition will be a great learning experience for the young Sea~Hawks squad. Making their debut under new head coach Terry Mosher, expect the Sea~Hawks to gain momentum as the season progresses.

Women’s Soccer

The Sea~Hawks’ women’s soccer team will look to keep their two game winning streak alive as they close out their regular season at home this weekend hosting the St. Francis Xavier X-Women. With both teams having already assured themselves a berth in next weekend’s AUS Championship (Memorial as the host team), this weekend is a preview of a possible quarter-final match up.

St. FX is currently 4th in the AUS and will be hungry for victory as they aim to clinch a bye to the AUS semi-finals. The Sea~Hawks are hoping for a different result, as they look to move up in the standings and into contention. Memorial defenders Ashley Dawe and Laura Tilley will be called upon to shut down X’s top scorer Olivia Zanette, while Laura Breen and Malorie Harris will try to take care of things on the offensive end. With both teams looking to end their season on a winning note, and playoff positioning on the line, expect both teams to bring their ‘A’ game when they take the pitch at the Smallwood Dr. Soccer Complex in Mount Pearl on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. The games will be the first games played at the new field turf facility at Smallwood Drive Upper complex.

Men’s Soccer

Memorial’s men’s soccer will finish out their AUS season at home this weekend in a two game series against the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men at the Smallwood Drive Field Turf Soccer Complex in Mount Pearl.

With the Sea~Hawks hopes of making it to the post season gone, the team will look to play spoiler against a St. FX team just barely clinging onto their playoff lives. The X-Men are currently in 5th place in the AUS, and are coming off a 2-0 victory over the previously undefeated Tigers last Saturday. Memorial is coming off a 0-1-1 weekend in New Brunswick where they played some of their best soccer of the season despite returning winless. Tyler Putt, who returned midway through the season from injury, will be looking for his first victory in goal for Memorial, and will need defensive support from sophomores Jeff Slaney and Chris Pope. The Sea~Hawks’ front line have struggled finding the back of the net when it matters most, but if the ‘Hawks offense can get on a roll, watch for Memorial to make a big impact on the AUS playoff picture.

The men will take the pitch on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. and Sunday at 1:15 p.m.