By Reegan MacAulay
The Holland Hurricanes volleyball and basketball teams enter the most important month of the season this weekend as the regular season is set to close soon and the championships are right around the corner.
Here’s how February will begin in Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) competition between Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 2, plus a recap of a men’s volleyball game on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Women’s Volleyball
The 7-9 women’s volleyball Hurricanes have a critical match this Saturday as a road trip to Fredericton, N.B. challenges them against one of the more recently hot teams in the conference, the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies.
The Tommies have been on a wild streak since Jan. 12, winning five consecutive games and going 5-1 in January alone compared to their 3-8 record through October and November. Led by players like third-year outside hitter Kathleen Boyle from Fredericton and second-year left-side Brooke Thompson, who shine in kills and digs respectively, the fourth-place, 8-8 squad will play Holland for one final time in the regular season, seeking revenge for a 3-2 loss at the McMillan Centre back on Nov. 2, 2024.
The Hurricanes will be under pressure from this weekend onward knowing they will host the 2025 ACAA Volleyball Championships later this month. Currently, they are tied for fifth in the conference with Dalhousie at 7-9 and coming off a 2-4 record in January. Head coach Craig Hoskins said he and the team are focused on building momentum game by game.
“As the season approaches the stretch run, we need to finish strong to secure our spot and position ourselves for a playoff run,” Hoskins said. “These last few games are very important, and my focus is one match at a time right now, and not so much worrying about the championship weekend.”
Fourth-year middle Myah Utrosa (Brooklin, Ontario) has been one of the team’s stronger players since the second half began. Her 20 kills, two service aces, and two digs across two games last weekend earned her the most recent Hurricanes Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honours. Fourth-year left-side Jamie Spencer (Fort Frances, Ontario) had her best weekend of the season statistically with 19 kills, six digs, two assists, and one service ace, and will look to keep her momentum going.
Several rookies have stepped up and proved their worth in recent games, including setters Marissa O’Donnell (Fredericton, N.B.) and Madelyn Tomyn (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan), and libero Erica Correard (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
Saturday’s game is at 1 p.m. and can be viewed live at .
Connect with the women’s volleyball ‘Canes at and
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Men’s Volleyball
The men’s volleyball Hurricanes have a big month ahead with six games across three weekends before they host the 2025 ACAA Volleyball Championships, and it all starts with a rivalry doubleheader in Fredericton, N.B. against the St. Thomas University (STU) Tommies on Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday. Feb. 2.
The Tommies are the second-hottest team in the conference carrying a three-game winning streak and 10 wins in their last 12 games. They also have six games scheduled in February before the championships. This weekend’s games will be the third, fourth, and final ones against Holland, and STU looks to end the regular season undefeated against the team they beat in last year’s ACAA Championships semifinals. The previous doubleheader in early November 2024 saw the Tommies score back-to-back straight-set wins at the McMillan Centre.
As for the Hurricanes, before the upcoming weekend, they played a rare Wednesday night match in Moncton, N.B. against the Crandall University Chargers — a rematch of last Saturday’s game on the same court, which Holland lost 3-1. They had a fantastic turnaround with a straight-set 3-0 victory on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
While the Chargers put forth a stout effort with momentum from their upset win the previous weekend and were solid at the net, the Hurricanes were much stronger in their attacks, defensive play, and clutch performance. The final set scores were 25-18, 25-21, and 25-21. Each player contributed to the scoresheet in some capacity; notably, third-year left-side Carson Gray (Stratford, P.E.I.) led in kills with eight, three other players each recorded six kills, rookie libero Connor Daniels (Adelaide, South Australia) led in digs with seven, and third-year setter Tyler McBride (Oakville, Ontario) led in assists with 13.
The Hurricanes improved to 9-5 and remain third in the conference, but are now two points behind STU. The Chargers dropped to 4-12, remaining in fifth with eight points, two back of UNBSJ and four ahead of Dalhousie.
Ending January with a 3-1 record and having won six of their last seven games, there would be nothing better for Holland to do than to start championship month with two statement victories against their rivals: after that, it’s back-to-back home-game doubleheaders to catch a preview of what’s to come on the weekend of Feb. 21-23.
Saturday’s game is at 3 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 12 p.m. Catch the action live at .
Connect with the men’s volleyball ‘Canes at and
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Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball Hurricanes enter February as the best women’s basketball team in the ACAA and one of the country’s best. Sitting atop the conference with an 11-3 record and seven wins in their last eight games (plus a 5-1 record in January), the upcoming weekend will be vital for the team’s push to clinch first place, as another top squad comes to town for a must-see doubleheader.
The third place, 9-3 Mount Allison Mounties will play Holland for the second, third, and final times in the regular season at the McMillan Centre on Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 2. The first time the two teams played each other, in Sackville, N.B. on Nov. 17, 2025, the Hurricanes dominated the Mounties in the first half and narrowly avoided a near-comeback by Mount Allison in the second half. A match that set the stage for two pivotal and exciting rematches this weekend, the Mounties may be a little fresher going into them as they played three games in January while the Hurricanes played six; in February, Mount Allison will play six games compared to Holland’s four, which could make things interesting in the standings.
With the Mounties and the MSVU Mystics hot on their tails seeking a bye into the 2025 ACAA Basketball Championship semifinals, the Hurricanes must make sure they don’t feel too comfortable this weekend knowing the imbalance of games left between each team.
Third-year guard Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia) has easily been the team’s best player since the recent January stretch. She recorded her highest-scoring doubleheader and highest-scoring single-game performance of the season last weekend, earning her Hurricanes Female Athlete of the Week and Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honours for the third time this season, and she leads the conference with 224 points (43 more than second) and 16 points per game. Also strong in the field goal, three-point, and rebound categories, she has been leaving her mark and looks to help her team achieve their first regional championship in nearly a decade.
Fourth-year guard Amy Plaggenhoef (Stratford, P.E.I.) has also been fantastic since the holiday break with 78 points and a nearly perfect free-throw record in the team’s last six games. Rookie guards Nykeva Brown (Halifax, N.S.) and Karissa George (New Glasgow, N.S.) have progressively broken out into players who can be consistently counted on for secondary scoring and stepping up at key moments.
Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 1 p.m. Both games can be seen live at .
Connect with the women’s basketball ‘Canes at and
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Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball Hurricanes have begun to peak at the right time with the 2025 ACAA Basketball Championships just beyond the horizon, carrying a 9-5 record, a four-game winning streak, and six wins in their last seven games into the regular season’s final month.
After an okay 4-4 first half, the squad has kicked up their firepower and been lethal in every match. Their clutch performance has immensely improved too, which was proven in last Sunday’s barnburner against Crandall when the team took advantage of a foul with three seconds remaining in regulation to earn the win. As long as the momentum keeps up, an exciting month of Hurricanes basketball awaits with the squad in a three-team war for the second and final bye to the 2025 ACAA Basketball Championships semifinals.
This weekend, Holland welcomes the last-place, 1-11 Mount Allison Mounties to the McMillan Centre for a critical doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 2. It’s been a disappointing season for the Mounties, who have lost their last eight games and haven’t won since Nov. 9, 2024. Their previous game against the Hurricanes saw them lose 83-69 on Nov. 17, 2024. Both matches will be must-win for Mount Allison as, with six games remaining on their regular season campaign, they are four points out of the final playoff spot.
Fifth-year guard Bryce Corless (Quispamsis, N.B.) and second-year guard Aaron Simmons (Nassau, Bahamas) were at full force last weekend and have been for the entire second half. Corless’ 113 points across the previous six games now have him 23 points away from the most in the conference. His confidence and hustle have noticeably grown too and will be dangerous to opponents with the championships quickly approaching.
Simmons had his best doubleheader performance of the season last weekend with 47 points, a 20-for-34 field-goal record, a 6-for-11 three-point record, 10 rebounds, four assists, and six steals; he was rewarded with Hurricanes Male Athlete of the Week and Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honours.
Keep an eye on third-year guards Dorrell Bedminster (Hamilton, Ontario) and Zachary Dawkins (Edmonton, Alberta), who have been key additions to the squad since the holiday break, and second-year forward Owen Parsons (Hebbville, N.S.), who was the hero last Sunday with two game-winning free throws in the dying seconds.
Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s game is at 3 p.m. Watch live at .
Connect with the men’s basketball Hurricanes at and
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For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, visit , , and .
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