X-Women ready for AUS volleyball championship

The X-Women volleyball team are heading into this weekend’s Subway AUS championship at Saint Mary’s University as the No. 1 seed in the conference and have earned a bye into the semi-final round. This season marks the first time in X-Women history that they have finished in first place in the AUS standings.

StFX clinched top spot after winning their final 7 matches, and 10 out of their last 11, closing out the season with a 3-1 win over No. 2 seeded Saint Mary’s in Halifax last weekend. Both the X-Women and Huskies tied for first place with 22 points a piece, but the X-Women claimed first place and the No. 1 seed based on head-to-head meetings with SMU this past season. They split the season series, however StFX won five of the nine sets played in the two matches.

“We are really excited about the upcoming AUS championship,” comments StFX head coach Michelle Aucoin, currently in her fourth season behind the helm.

“One of our team goals for the season was to capture a playoff bye, so a strong second term allowed us to realize that goal. The AUS championship lay a clear slate for all six participating teams and with such a competitive league this year, I truly believe that every team has a legitimate chance to win.”

The AUS standings were extremely tight this year, as the X-Women (11-7) narrowly edged out Saint Mary’s (11-7) for top spot, and Acadia (10-8) is only 2 points behind them in No. 3 with 20 points. UNB (9-9) is fourth with 18 points, followed by Cape Breton (6-12) in fifth and Dalhousie (6-12) in sixth, both with 12 points a piece. Cape Breton edged Dalhousie for the No. 5 seed based upon sets won and lost in their head-to-head meetings this season.
 
“Whichever team is able to put together 2 or 3 consistent performances is going to come home with a banner. We will stay very focused for our Saturday semi-final match as we know it is going to be a battle,” says Aucoin.

The X-Women are set to square off against the lowest remaining seed to advance out of the quarterfinals on Saturday at 4:30 pm. Saint Mary’s will meet the highest remaining seed at 7:00 pm. Friday nights’ quarterfinal matches see No. 3 Acadia taking on No. 6 Dalhousie at 6:00 pm, followed by No. 4 UNB against No. 5 Cape Breton at 8:00 pm. All matches will the played at the Saint Mary’s Tower in Halifax.

StFX's 11 regular season wins this season are the most since 1996-97 when they finished in fourth place with a 13-5 record. This season also marks the first time in X-Women volleyball history that they have claimed top spot in the AUS standings following regular season play. They will be looking to capture their first ever AUS crown this weekend in Halifax.

Courtesy StFX Sports Information