Reds Blank Moncton 3-0

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB Reds improved to 2-and-0 with a straight-sets win over l'Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues on Sunday. The Reds won 25-17, 25-16 and 25-22.

Victoria Eadle (Gallagher Ridge, NB) led the Reds with a match-high 11 digs and was named the Subway Player of the Game.

"We stayed disciplined and within our system. It was a good win," said Eadle. "It's always a great way to start the season. To already have two wins is huge. Each team is going to be tough, but we just have to stick to our game plan."

Paige Lehto (North Vancouver, BC) had 25 serve assists for UNB, while Adora Rooyakkers (Port Hawkesbury, NS) recorded 10 digs.

Second-year middle Ivana Urquhart-Mladineo (Saint John, NB) led les Aigles Bleues with seven kills, while Joanie Arsenault (Tracadie-Sheila, NB) and Emily Robichaud (Dieppe, NB) each had six digs.

"They're a competitive team. They're scrappy and they gave us a game," said Eadle, of les Aigles Bleues. "They want to win and they forced us to play well. You never know with a team like Moncton. They want it just as bad as anyone else."

The Reds played from behind early, after Moncton established leads of 5-1 and 6-3 in the opening set.

Down 10-7, UNB went on a 4-0 run to take an 11-10 lead.

That run seemed to turn the tide for the Reds, who pushed out to a 15-11 lead and led 16-12 at the technical time-out.

Strong serving from Eadle extended UNB's lead to 19-12 and the Reds went on to win the opening set 25-17.

UNB began the second set the same way they ended the first… playing well.

They built a 7-1 lead with good efforts from Lehto, on the service line, and Eadle, at the net. Moncton was forced to call a time-out in an attempt to slow down the surging Reds.

Les Aigles Bleues did close the gap to down 15-8, but UNB took a 16-8 lead into the technical time out.

For the most part, the Reds controlled play after the time-out, taking the second set 25-16.

In the third, Moncton began to push back, closing the gap to down 15-14 before UNB went up 16-14 at the technical time-out.

Moncton took a 20-19 lead on a bit of a tricky play by Arsenault, before the Reds rallied and pulled away to win the set 25-22, and the match 3-0.

On Friday, UNB beat les Aigles Bleues, in Moncton, by the same 3-0 score.

"Half of our team is first or second year," said Arsenault. "On Friday, we panicked a little bit. Today we knew what we wanted to do and it was better. We're just getting better and better, and we're going to get them next time."

"They were really fighting back," said Eadle, of Moncton's third set push. "They really wanted to come back and take a set from us, but we kept pushing and stuck to our game plan."

Up next for les Aigles Bleues, a Friday night home date with the Acadia Axewomen. That match starts at 7:00pm.

The Reds return to action on Friday too. They host the Dalhousie Tigers in a 6:00pm start.

RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics