{"id":43391,"date":"2024-03-06T14:55:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T18:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=43391"},"modified":"2024-03-06T14:55:03","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T18:55:03","slug":"weatherhead-axewomen-nab-first-ever-aus-womens-volleyball-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=43391","title":{"rendered":"Weatherhead, Axewomen nab first-ever AUS women’s volleyball championship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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MAIN PHOTO: Leah Weatherhead smiles proudly holding the AUS women’s volleyball championship trophy. (Submitted photo)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WOLFVILLE:<\/strong> A Fall River volleyball player is an Atlantic University Sport women\u2019s volleyball champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lockview High and Fall River Fury alum Leah Weatherhead and her Acadia Axewomen volleyball team captured their first-ever AUS championship defeating SMU in three sets on Tuesday night in Wolfville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is Weatherhead’s rookie season with the Axewomen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acadia won the sets 25-18, 27-25, and 20-18 at the Stu Aberdeen Court in Wolfville, NS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sold-out home crowd of the Axewomen seemed to give them a boost in the opening moments, as they opened up an early 10-3 lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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League MVP Olivia Bell started to heat up as the set went on, recording three kills to lead Saint Mary’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the early Acadia lead proved too large to overcome, as the Axewomen took the first set 25-18, with outsider hitter Jenna Lake recording six kills to lead the home team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Acadia opened up a 16-12 lead, the Huskies were able to fight back to take a 20-17 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two teams traded points for the remainder of the set with the Axewomen pulling out a 27-25 win to take a commanding two set to none lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the third, the Huskies led early, but the Axewomen fought back with a couple kills courtesy of Lake, but a service ace from Alena Piatukhova helped restore the Huskies lead at 15-14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another ace from Bell put the Huskies up 18-17, but a huge block from Alexia Lemay-Evans tied it up again at 18, and back-to-back Lake kills gave Acadia the lead 20-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Piatukhova kill cut the lead to 20-19, but Acadia won four of the next five points to force match point. A Lake kill gave the Axewomen the 25-22 set win, and clinched the first AUS championship in program history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lianne Rogers of Fletchers Lake is a member of the Huskies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both the Huskies and the Axewomen will be competing at the U SPORTS women’s volleyball championship, which will be played March 15-17 at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n