Mounties Women鈥檚 Volleyball has seen a resurgence this season 鈥� and it couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time. The Mounties will be hosting the ACAA Women鈥檚 & Men鈥檚 Volleyball Championships from Feb. 28-March 1 in the McCormack Gymnasium.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about the talent we have within our program and we鈥檙e all looking forward to supporting them as we compete for the ACAA championship here in our home gym,鈥� says Director of Athletics & Recreation Pierre Arsenault. 鈥淲hen we last hosted CCAA women鈥檚 basketball nationals and the ACAA basketball championship, the support from our community was awesome and we鈥檙e looking forward to having the same energy and Mountie Pride this time around.鈥�

In the first half of the season, the Mounties boasted an impressive 6-1 record, spending most of the first half nationally ranked. New head coach Robbie Crouse credits this to the team鈥檚 composure and chemistry.

鈥淚 am big on the mental space,鈥� he says. 鈥淰olleyball is an emotional game and you have to be in the right head space 鈥� aggressive, but not afraid to make a mistake.鈥�

Fourth-year captain Rachel McDougall says everyone has really bought in to the team.

鈥淲e are more cohesive this year and you can feel everyone is excited to be there and to contribute to the team,鈥� says McDougall.

The team remained undefeated until the final game of the first half, when they lost to also undefeated Holland College 3-1. Crouse says the loss is what the team needed at the time.

鈥淲e were getting a tad bit complacent,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was nice to get the loss out of the way.鈥�

Second-year Sophie Landry agrees.

鈥淚 think it helped us realize we have work to do and that the end goal isn鈥檛 going to come easy,鈥� she says.

The team鈥檚 five-week stint in the national rankings didn鈥檛 surprise Crouse.

鈥淚 kind of expected to be there from the first tip-off of the season,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have something to chase and it proves what we are doing is working. The team really has a fighter鈥檚 mentality and that hasn鈥檛 always been part of the team鈥檚 identity.鈥�

The Mounties will host women鈥檚 teams from Dalhousie AC, St. Thomas, Mount Saint Vincent, King鈥檚, and Holland College  and men鈥檚 teams from St. Thomas, Holland College, UNBSJ, and Universit茅 Sainte-Anne at the championships.

Crouse says home court will definitely be an advantage.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to showing the league how loud that place can be,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have protected the house so far this season. If someone comes into our spot, we have to use it to our advantage.鈥�

Stay tuned for the tournament鈥檚 full schedule at . Join the team at the gym or support the garnet and gold from home at . You can also keep up-to-date by following the team鈥檚 Instagram