Axewomen outlast Dalhousie in five-set battle at home

Acadia earned a hard-fought five-set win over Dalhousie on Friday night at Stu Aberdeen Court, rallying from an 0–2 deficit to take the match 22–25, 22–25, 25–19, 25–18, 15–10.

Acadia's defense was the difference, finishing with 17 blocks, 59 digs and 10 aces in front of 251 fans.

Dalhousie claimed the opening set 25–22 after capitalizing on late Acadia errors. The Axewomen kept the frame tight with blocks from Mia Lemay-Evans and Allison Van Zeumeren and a kill from Olivia Nicholls to level the score at 19–19, but the Tigers closed the set with a service ace.

The Tigers took the second set by the same 25–22 score. Acadia opened well with kills from Alexia Lemay-Evans and blocks from Charley McDonald, building a 6–2 lead. Dalhousie responded with a run of aces and blocks to pull ahead, eventually stretching the margin to 20–15. Acadia trimmed the deficit late, but Dalhousie closed the set with a kill from Mel Hatfield.

Acadia flipped the momentum in the third. A service ace from Alexia Lemay-Evans and several MacLean-assisted kills gave the Axewomen early separation. After Dalhousie closed within one at 17–16, Acadia responded with a steady run fuelled by Jenna Guy and a series of Tiger errors, securing the set 25–19.

The Axewomen continued their surge into the fourth. Back-to-back aces from Mia Lemay-Evans pushed Acadia ahead 9–5, and key kills from Jenna Lake and Guy extended the lead to 18–10. A Lake ace and a Dalhousie attack error sealed a 25–18 win, forcing a deciding set.

Acadia controlled the fifth set from the opening rally. Alexia Lemay-Evans delivered critical points, including a kill and a service ace, and a block from Mia Lemay-Evans helped maintain a narrow lead. After Dalhousie tied the set 7–7, Acadia produced a final push behind Lake and the Lemay-Evans sisters. Consecutive blocks from Mia Lemay-Evans closed out the match 15–10.

Alexia Lemay-Evans led Acadia with 15 kills and four aces, finishing with 21.5 points. MacLean recorded 35 assists and 12 digs. Mia Lemay-Evans dominated defensively with eight solo blocks and a block assist. Guy added six kills, 10 digs and a .385 hitting percentage.

Dalhousie was paced by Mel Hatfield's 12 kills and 11 digs. Dominika Aniolowska led the Tigers at the net with seven blocks and added five kills on .364 hitting. Paris Stewart contributed 11 kills and 12 digs.

Acadia is off until the new year and returns to action at home on January 10 against Saint Mary's.