Three Memorial University varsity sports teams kick off their 2018-19 Atlantic University Sport seasons this weekend.
The Sea-Hawks’ women’s volleyball team actually opened Friday night at the Field House on the MUN campus, playing host to the Acadia Axewomen for a three-game set.
The varsity men’s and women’s basketball teams start on the road, with a pair of games each in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The Lady Birds hoops squad hopes to make it three straight years in the playoffs, and much of that will depend on the performance of a pair of fifth years — Sydney Stewart and Brooklyn Wright.
Stewart, one of the conference’s top performers, is MVP material. The senior guard was sixth in AUS scoring last season with 16.3 points per game, and was a second-team conference all-star.
This after missing eight games to an ankle injury.
Wright, a 6-2 forward, was right behind Stewart, averaging 14.9 points a game.
Memorial was 11-9 last season. The Sea-Hawks dropped their quarter-final game 71-61 to Saint Mary’s.
Memorial went 3-3 in six pre-season games.
“I think the major take away from this pre-season is that we have a number of threats on the offensive side of the floor,” said coach Mark English. “We have four girls in double figures in scoring which is, for sure, a positive.
“I think we need to get better on the defensive side of the floor and that is something we have been working on to improve.”
The Sea-Hawks play 6:30 p.m. today (NL time) and 1:30 (NL time Sunday).
As for the men, Memorial lost its top scorer (Daniel Gordon) and starting point guard (Davion Parnsalu). Gordon was fourth in conference scoring with 18.9 points per game, and Parnsalu was among the AUS leaders in assists and steals per game.
Greg Manuel, who scored 9.4 points per game last year, has left the team.
The good news is Nathan Barker, coming off a second-team all-star campaign, is back and will lead the charge.
The Sea-Hawks were 5-15 last year, but still made the playoffs. They upset 14-6 Saint Mary’s in the quarter-final before losing to eventual champion UNB 93-86 in the semifinal.
In seven pre-season games, the Sea-Hawks were 2-5.
MUN plays 8:30 p.m. (NL time) today and 3:30 (NL time) Sunday morning.
The women’s volleyball team went 8-12 last season and was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round after reaching the conference final the previous two seasons.
Memorial enters this season with a number of new additions, as well as some key returning athletes. Leading the way for the Hawks will be second-year outside hitter Emma Hackett of Clarenville, named to the conferece all-rookie team last season.
Hailey Oke of Massey Drive and Catherine Smith of Mount Pearl are expected to be key pieces in the middle of the floor for the Sea-Hawks this season.
Memorial plays Acadia again tonight at 7 o’clock, with the third game of the series set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
