The Memorial Sea-Hawks volleyball team is in Ottawa, Ontario this weekend to compete in the Gee Gees Pre-Season Classic. This is the third straight year the Sea-Hawks will compete in this tournament, finishing last year with a 3-2 record, and 4-1 back in 2015. Ten teams will compete this weekend with schools from the AUS, OUA, and RSEQ conferences, all looking to get ready for the upcoming season.
The Sea-Hawks share a division with the Universite de Montreal, Western, McGill, and Guelph. The tournament concludes on Sunday with a best of five match to determine final rankings versus the opposing division.
The Sea-Hawks will no longer be led by two-time AUS MVP Jill Snow, as she completed her fifth-year last season, but Head Coach John Slauenwhite looks forward to seeing this year's squad take the court.
"We are excited to be back in Ottawa for the Gee Gees Pre-Season Classic. The tournament features some of the top teams in the country and has been a great test to start our season in the past". The team has been working hard to prepare over the past month and are ready to play and compete".
With Snow's departure, the Hawks will be led by Kier Fey (Selkirk, MB) and Sarah Dawe (Mount Pearl, NL). Fey and Dawe are two of the top outside attackers in the AUS. Both athletes will take on a larger volume of sets with the absence of Snow on the outside. Alison Poynter (St. John's, NL) will be taking on a larger role at the setters position. Poynter has worked extremely hard in the past, and is prepared to take on this role. Her location and decision-making skills set her apart. Keep an eye on Alison in the aces department as she is one of the top servers in the country.
Lastly, keep an eye out for Jordan Hutchison (Kentville, NS). Hutchison is primed to have a break out season, entering her fourth season with the team. Jordan has exhibited all the skills necessary to be an impact middle in the AUS, since her return to the court this fall.
The Sea-Hawks play their first game action at 12:30pm NST against Western and you can follow the scores on the Ottawa Gee Gees website here – http://www.geegees.ca/en/sports/teams/volleyballw/pre-season-classic