BURNABY, B.C. – It was the perfect debut as the Simon Fraser Red Leafs.

On Thursday, the West Gym played host to the first SFU home game after the introduction of the new nickname for the school's varsity teams.

In front of a raucous crowd of just over 600 fans, the SFU volleyball squad swept the visiting Montana State Billings Yellowjackets by set scores of 25-23, 25-13, and 25-20.

"I loved it, I thought it was great," said sophomore opposite Brooke Dexter on competing with the new team nickname for the first time. "I could hear the crowd chanting it, and I love the (newly painted) wall (on the south side of the West Gym).

"We had so many things go right tonight, the fans helped a lot and we could all feel the great energy. It is always nice to perform in front of an amazing crowd."

The Red Leafs, fresh off an appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament last year, recorded an excellent hitting percentage of .352, and out-blocked MSUB 8-5. It was the first Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest for both teams.
 

Four SFU players reached double digits in kills, with sophomore outside hitter Jocelyn Sherman leading the way with 13. Junior outside hitter Camryn Vosloh had a dozen, while Dexter and junior middle Kalyn Hartmann both had 11.

With just one error in 16 total attacks, Hartmann had an incredible hitting percentage of .625 for the match. She also had a solo block and three block assists. Dexter and sophomore middle Abby Willett had four block assists apiece. Sophomore setter Serena Gentile had 38 assists, and freshman libero Ava Khademi served up three aces.

Caty Havekost knocked down nine kills to lead the Yellowjackets, while Christine Funk had a dozen digs.  

In the opening set, the teams were tied on 13 occasions with the lead changing a half-dozen times. Down by a point, the Red Leafs went on a 5-1 run – with two kills each from Dexter and Sherman and one from Hartmann – to go ahead 23-20. MSUB rallied with three-consecutive points to even the score, but a Sherman kill, and a Dexter-Hartmann combination block gave the set to the hosts.

The Yellowjackets had an excellent start to the second set by earning the first four points, but it was all SFU the rest of the way. The Red Leafs put together a 9-1 surge to lead 14-8, and then won eight of the set's last 10 points. Hartmann had a team-best five kills in the set, while Sherman had four. SFU made just two attack errors.

The home side led 10-9 early in the third, before widening the gap with four points in row. Later on, a Gentile-Hartmann block made the score 19-13 in favour of SFU. A Khademi ace set up match point at 24-18, before Dexter finalized the victory with a kill at 25-20.
 

"This has been an historic week, and to cap it off with our student-athletes proudly 'Repping The Leaf' and cheering on the volleyball team to their first conference win tonight was perfect," said Theresa Hanson, SFU's Senior Director, Athletics & Recreation. "We are very proud of our new name and are looking forward to an exciting year ahead."

SFU improved to 4-6 overall with the triumph, and 1-0 in GNAC play. MSUB fell to 6-2 (0-1).

The Red Leafs are back at the West Gym on Saturday, with a 5 p.m. first serve against the Seattle Pacific Falcons. SFU volleyball season passes can be purchased here.
 
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
 
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