Confidence Key for Tommies in Weekend Volleyball Matches with Blue Devils

The St. Thomas University Tommies have won three of their last four games and hope to continue that trend when they host the University of King's College Blue Devils in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association women's volleyball action this weekend.

The STU women's team was on a three-game win streak before dropping a tough loss to the Holland College Hurricanes this past Saturday.

The Tommies and Blue Devils last faced off in November with the Green and Gold taking a slim 3-2 win, but head coach Don McKay said his team has come a long way since then.

"Since we last played UKC, we, like many other teams, have improved. With 10 rookies on the team, practices had to be tailored to basics first and then strategies later on," he said.

"We now have a starting group of players with clear roles who answered the challenge against Holland College, but we only had one game. This weekend playing on Saturday and Sunday I expect to use the bench more."

The focus for the Tommies heading into the weekend is controlling what they can control on their side of the net—getting a good first pass, strong serving, and limiting unforced errors.

According to McKay, the biggest advantage the Tommies have in this match is confidence.

"The girls know they are playing well and as long as everyone remains healthy we'll do well," he said. "Our starting group is very athletic and as long as we can get the sets we need we will continue to do well offensively."

Deidra Jones, who was named STU's Athlete of the Month for January, and Jessica Barna are currently leading the team's offence, along with contributions from rookies Megan Mills and Hannah Millier.

The Tommies will need to focus on containing Kirstin Conrad and Sophia Josenhans of the Blue Devils, who are averaging the most kills per set for the Halifax squad.

"We will look at the video and stats from UKC and plan our defense accordingly," McKay said. "We are at the stage where we're looking to run options off free balls and serve receive, and having several options within each offensive scheme makes it even more difficult for the opponents."

The Tommies and Blue Devils will clash Saturday at 4:30 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.