BURNABY, B.C. – Coming off a convincing win over the Western Oregon Wolves earlier in the week, the SFU Red Leafs volleyball team kept the momentum going on Saturday night. SFU was dominant, earning their second straight sweep in a 3-0 triumph over the visiting Saint Martin's Saints at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C.
 
SFU settled for comfortable margins of 25-19 and 25-20 in the first two frames before posting a brilliant 25-11 win in the final set to cap off the triumph.
 
Junior opposite Brooke Dexter (Anchorage, Alaska) delivered a game-high 11 kills and four aces. Jocelyn Sherman (Victoria, B.C.) had eight kills to go along with six aces, the most of any player in the match and one off her personal best. The junior outside hitter also posted 13 digs to lead all Red Leafs players. On the defensive end, SFU was terrific, as they held the Saints to an attacking percentage of just .038 and forced them into 24 combined service and attacking errors.
 
"We've been working hard to treat every team the same," said junior SFU middle Sophie Lachapelle (Kelowna, B.C.) of her team's game plan. "Just making sure the intensity and the energy stays high and at the same level throughout the game. Even when we lost a couple points, we tried to rally back. I think we did a good job of putting the match away when we had to."
 
SFU roared to an 8-2 lead early in the first frame, but the Saints did well to maintain composure, eventually going ahead 14-13 after a 6-0 run. The teams were tied 18-18 before the Red Leafs finally took over for good in the closing stages of the first set.
 
Kills from Dexter, senior outside hitter Hanna Kolof (Vancouver), and three huge combo blocks from sophomore setter Eva Person (Brentwood Bay, B.C.) and senior middle Kalyn Hartmann (Langley, B.C.) saw SFU rip off a 6-1 run to earn a set point. Hartmann closed it out on a kill from there; she finished the match with six block assists.
 
Strangely, the second frame also saw itself tied up at 18-18 before an SFU run put it away for the hosts. This time, it was a 7-2 run bookended by a pair of kills from Lachapelle.
 
The final set took a lot less time to break open. Up just 10-9, SFU completely took over. The Red Leafs scored 15 of the next 17 points in the contest, with one of the Saints' two coming off a Sherman service error.
 
Sherman more than made up for it in that torrid final stretch, as she and Dexter combined for four kills and four aces, including back-to-back daggers to close the game out.
 
SFU recorded 13 aces to the Saints' six, and out-blocked the visitors 10-7.
 
Person had 23 assists from her setter position.
 
Emily Garten had eight kills for Saint Martin's, which also benefitted from four Karla Soto service aces.
 
The Red Leafs will face one of their longest road trips of the season next week, as they head to Anchorage to take on the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Thursday, October 19 at 8 p.m. PT. SFU will then hop over to Fairbanks, where they will face the Alaska Nanooks at 3 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 21.

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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