Huskies Take 5 Set Battle over the Ooks
The NAIT Ooks hosted the Keyano Huskies on Friday night at the NAIT gymnasium to a rocking crowd of both home and away fans.
The first set saw both teams start the match with service errors as the two Northern rivals struggled to find their footing early in the game. After the initial errors, the two teams settled, finding offensive kills from the Huskies Nathan Luken and a service ace from the Ooks Mason Gorski. The two teams went point for point, with no lead stretching more than two points on either side. Finn Howard on the Ooks delivered a resounding kill but it was quickly matched by the Huskies' Jao Cunha. The Huskie's called a timeout while trailing 19-17, hoping to stall the Ooks momentum. The Ooks kept their foot on the gas and won the set on a block by Howard. The Ooks won the set 25-21.
The second set saw both teams come out firing on all cylinders. The Huskies' Athus Silva and Cunha both delivered resounding kills that kept their team steadily in the lead. At 14-11 for the Huskies, the Ooks called a time out. In the last half of the set the Ooks' Finn Howard pulled the Ooks back with various kills that brought energy to the Ooks offense. A service error from the Ooks lead to a 25-33 set win for the Huskies.
The third set started strong for the Ooks, who took the lead with a block by the two Kiwi internationals Josh Watson and Howard. The Huskies retaliated quickly, with a quick block from Luken to keep the set within one. Ooks Ross Bishop had an exceptional set collecting blocks and kills to keep the Ooks ahead. A real turning point the set was a joust on the net where the Ooks Shae McIntyre took the point. Not to be outdone, the Huskies turned to Cunha to once again to keep them within one point of the Ooks. A service ace by Howard brought the Ooks the lead at 20-19. A block by Bishop finalized the set win for NAIT, winning 25 – 22.
The fourth set was saw the Huskies pull away from the Ooks, at one point leading the set 10-8, the largest lead of the match. However, two kills from the McIntyre brought new energy to the Ooks and pulled them back to within two points. The Huskies were relentless in their pursuit of the set win, with exceptional blocks from Cunha and valiant team efforts to correct passing errors. The Huskies were also strong on the block, with the Ooks struggling to find points. The Huskies won the set 25-16.
In the final set of the game the Huskies took off running, starting the set with a 3-0 run. Thankfully Bishop found the line for the Ooks and kept the home team within two points. Tensions were high at the NAIT gymnasium as both teams were hungry to take the 5set match up. The Huskies took the lead going into the second half of the set while the Ooks sought to claw their way out from the 3-point deficit. A perfectly timed block from Bishop allowed the Ooks to take the lead at 9-8 at which point the Huskies called a timeout. The 5th and final set went to 22-20 with the Huskies taking the win.
Players of the Game:
Keyano Huskies | #13 Joao Cunha
NAIT Ooks | #09 Ross Bishop