By: Aaron Richardson
This past Thursday the Simon Fraser University women’s volleyball team beat the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks, taking three sets in a row in the team’s #DigPink match. In hopes of promoting breast cancer awareness and funding, the match was accompanied by a bake sale to help raise funds for the cause.
During halftime, a paper airplane contest was held as a fundraising opportunity for breast cancer awareness. Although no one ended up winning the grand prize of a $500 gift card to the SFU Bookstore, over 50 audience members participated in the halftime activity, showing support for breast cancer awareness.
The girls took an early lead in the first set, and stayed well ahead of the Nanooks, finishing the set 25–15. In the second set, the girls kept up a safe lead throughout, and took it with a score of 25–11. The third set of the game, however, kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
Getting off to a good start early in the set, the Nanooks took a five-point lead, with the largest gap being 15–9. But the SFU women pushed back hard in the set, and recovered the lead. Matching point for point, it was unclear who would come out ahead. But the SFU women finally scored the game winning point, taking their third set of the game 25–20.
Head coach Gina Schmidt had this to say on the performance throughout the game: “They did well tonight, and kept up a steady play throughout the game.” When asked about what areas the team is working on improving, Schmidt told The Peak, “We are always working on offense [. . .] The team’s blocking has been improving, and we’re hoping to continue working on that.”
The Clan’s offence was led by Christine Howlett, with 14 kills and three blocks, and Kirsten Pinkney, with 12 kills. With a hit percentage of .650, and .364 respectively, Howlett and Pinkney were only a few of the SFU women who played hard all game. The defence on the other hand was led by Julia Tays with 34 digs, and Katerina Dolguikh with 20.
This is their fourth win in a row, and marks their longest winning streak of the season. The team will next be playing against University of Alaska Anchorage this Saturday in the West Gym. The game is set to start at 7 p.m.
