Lobato's 10 Kills Helps Tommies to 3-0 Sweep of Dragons

Fredericton, NB - The St. Thomas Univerity Tommies showed great energy in a three-set win over the Université Sainte-Anne Dragons this Saturday night, showing composure in tight sets to pull off the win. Gustavo Lobato (Aracaju, BRA) set the pace early with the first kill of the night, and the Tommies went up 9-4 in the first set. They maintained the lead until 12-6, when the Dragons began to battle back, closing the gap significantly in the next few points. Ultimately, blocks from veteran players Braden Cook (Adelaide, AUS) and Garret Dickson (Miramichi, NB) helped the team take the set 25-18.

The second set remained tight to begin with as the Tommies attempted to shut down Dragons' star player, Alec Cottreau, who currently leads the conference in points per set. High energy on and off the court helped the men deal with USTA's no quit style of play and pull away slightly at the end of the set, taking it 25-17. The Dragons showed great battle and defensive game, leading to unforced errors and a slight breakdown of the Tommies passing, resulting in an intense third set. Tommies' coach, Henri Mallet, says positioning for sets and unforced errors opened the door slightly to USA, however, noted that when they were down a couple points in key moments, "we didn't panic, we made some digs, and got some good blocks."

The third set began with the Tommies gaining points on each of Henry Doucet's (Truro, NS) serves, taking a quick 3-0 lead. The Dragons' hot serve led to some difficulties with passing, however Lobato was able to pack away more than his share of kills. Mallet says while some players struggled today with serves and sets, Lobato "really took off offensively and from the service line. He's got one of the best serves in the country and he doesn't miss a lot, so that really put pressure on one of the weaker points of their game."

The men take on USA once again tomorrow and hope to finish the weekend with full points to further solidify their first place position in the standings. 

Recap: Martina Barclay