Axewomen rally past Memorial in five-set thriller

The Acadia Axewomen battled back from two sets down to defeat the Memorial Sea-Hawks 3-2 on Friday night at Stu Aberdeen Court.

Set scores were 21-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-22 and 15-8.

Acadia improved to 8-11 with the win. Memorial fell to 10-9. The Axewomen's offence surged in the fourth set, where they hit .517 with 16 kills to force a deciding fifth.

Memorial controlled much of the opening two sets. In the first, Courtney Hodder led the attack as the Sea-Hawks used strong serving and efficient offence to build an early lead. Acadia trimmed the deficit late with a service ace from Charley McDonald and a block on Beatrix Webb, but Memorial closed out the set 25-21 on a final kill from Hodder.

Acadia opened the second set with a 3-0 lead behind a kill from Jenna Lake and an ace from Katie MacLean. Memorial responded quickly and used a mid-set run, powered by blocking and service pressure, to pull ahead. Despite efforts from Mia Lemay-Evans and Allison Van Zeumeren, the Sea-Hawks secured the set 25-18 for a two-set advantage.

The momentum shifted in the third.

Kills from Mia Lemay-Evans and Lake helped Acadia build an early lead. Service aces from Olivia Nicholls and Lake extended the margin to 9-4. Memorial battled back to tie the set at 15-15 and briefly led 17-15. Acadia responded with a steady run, capitalizing on errors and timely kills to claim the set 25-22.

In the fourth, Acadia's attack found another level. McDonald recorded a service ace during a four-point run that pushed the Axewomen ahead 11-8. MacLean's setting created consistent opportunities for Lake and Alexia Lemay-Evans. Mia Lemay-Evans delivered the final kill to seal a 25-22 win and send the match to a fifth set.

Acadia carried that momentum into the decider.

After surrendering the opening point, the Axewomen responded with a surge. Service aces from Lake and a block from Mia Lemay-Evans helped build a 6-1 lead. Memorial narrowed the gap briefly, but Acadia maintained control. Lake's kill, set by MacLean, ended the match at 15-8.

Lake led Acadia with 20 points and five service aces. MacLean recorded 38 assists. Mia Lemay-Evans added 15 points and five solo blocks. Anja Erminio anchored the defence with 22 digs.

Hodder paced Memorial with 26 points, including 20 kills. Karen Greek had 39 assists, while Alexis Sweet and Lydia Grawer each posted 20-plus digs.

Game Notes:
The Axewomen conclude their regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. against Memorial at Stu Aberdeen Court.