USTA Outlasts UNBSJ in Four Set Battle

The University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves were edged in a competitive four set match by Université Sainte-Anne Sunday morning at the G. Forbes Elliot Athletics Centre, falling 3–1 in an Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association clash. With the result, USTA improves to 11–5 while UNBSJ moves to 8–8, but the match once again showed that Saint John can go punch for punch with one of the conference's top attacks.

USTA came out sharp, hitting over .300 in the opening set to take it 25–22. UNBSJ answered with their best volleyball of the day in the second, running a quick, balanced offence that hit .355 as a team. Cleaner serve receive and faster tempo in transition allowed the Seawolves to even the match with a 25–22 win of their own. From there, USTA's consistency under pressure made the difference. They stayed above .280 hitting in both the third and fourth sets, limiting errors and converting in longer rallies to close things out 25–17 and 25–20.

The matchup also featured several of the conference's top individual performers. USTA's Liam Pelletier, the ACAA leader in kills per set at 5.18 and total kills with 285, once again showed his volume scoring ability with 15 kills. He had support from Louis-Philippe LeBlanc, who sits among the league leaders in both kills per set (3.14) and hitting percentage (.360), and added 14 kills in this one. Setter Ethan Aucoin, second in the conference in assists per set at 10.18, directed the offence with 40 assists, while Vincent Doucet contributed steady backcourt work, reflecting his place among the league's digs per set leaders.

UNBSJ's own league leaders made their mark as well. Adam Gauthier, who ranks near the top of the ACAA in both kills per set (3.05) and total kills (186), paced the Seawolves with 14 kills. William Siefker added 11 kills and continues to be a factor from the service line, sitting among the conference leaders in aces per set. At the net, Gabe Powell contributed offensively and defensively, and he remains the league's top blocker at 0.97 blocks per set. Defensively, libero John Benfica posted 13 digs, while Jackson Ramier handed out 39 assists and added 11 digs in a strong all around performance.

In the end, the difference was USTA's ability to sustain high efficiency across four sets. UNBSJ showed they can match top teams when their offence is in rhythm, particularly in the second set, but a few extra errors and USTA's steady side out play in the final two frames proved decisive. The Seawolves remain right in the mix in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association playoff picture, with performances like this reinforcing that they can compete with the conference's statistical leaders on any given day.