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| (Nick Pearce Photo) |
The Dalhousie Tigers will host game one of the best two-of-three game AUS championship series on Friday, February 26 at Dalplex.
Dal will host number-two seed UNB who hold a 9-9 regular season record but are winless against the Tigers this season. The Tigers are vying for their 24th consecutive AUS championship and a berth in their 30th consecutive CIS championship.
Dalhousie finished in first place with a 16-2 record this season with their only losses coming in interlock play to the Laval Rouge et Or, currently the number-one ranked team in Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
Four of the Tigers were recently named to the AUS all-star team, including Max Burt, Sander Ratsep, Devon Parkinson and Erik Montgomery.
Max Burt, a fourth-year middle blocker from Gander, Newfoundland, led the conference in hitting percentage (0.395), blocks (1.59 per game) and aces (0.48 per game). He finished second in AUS kills (2.95 per game), second in scoring (4.40 points per game) and his 1.59 blocks per game was also tops in CIS. From London, Ont., Sander Ratsep, the 2008-09 Atlantic conference Most Valuable Player, led the AUS in scoring (4.62 points per game) and kills (3.84 per game).
Major award winners for the AUS men’s volleyball championship were announced on Thursday and, not surprisingly, the Tigers were well-represented. Tigers head coach Dan Ota was named AUS Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his 11-year coaching career with Dalhousie.
Third-year libero, Travis MacLean of Ottawa, ON was named AUS Libero of the Year after amassing 130 digs in 42 games played this year with the Tigers. He joins the long list of Tigers to win this award since its inception in 1999-00, including former league MVP Jeff Weiler who won the award each of his five years in the league.
For the second year in a row, Dalhousie's Sander Ratsep has been named the Atlantic University Sport men's volleyball Most Valuable Player. A fourth year 6'4" outside hitter, Mr. Ratsep is a two-time conference all-star who led the AUS in scoring, kills and finished third in the conference in aces (0.40 per game) and third in hitting percentage (0.321). Named a CIS first team all-Canadian last year, Mr. Ratsep was selected to represent Canada in men's volleyball at the 25th Summer Universiade this past summer in Belgrade, Serbia. This is the sixth consecutive year a Dalhousie player has been named MVP of the conference.
The championship schedule is as follows:
- Friday, February 26: Game 1: UNB at Dalhousie, 7 p.m
- Sunday, February 28: Game 2: Dalhousie at UNB, 2 p.m.
- Saturday, March 6: Game 3: UNB at Dalhousie, 2 p.m.* (*if necessary)
Tickets for game one will be available one hour before game time on Friday at Dalplex. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for Dalhousie faculty, staff, alumni and Dalplex members and $3 for non-Dalhousie students and seniors. Dalhousie students are admitted free with presentation of student ID. A court-side reception for Dalhousie men’s volleyball alumni will be held during the game and all alumni are welcomed to attend.
Friday night’s game will be available via webcast at www.ssncanada.ca and live stats will be available for viewing on the athletics.dal.ca website.