Huskies outlast Rustlers in ACAC North showdown, advance to gold medal match

It took all five sets, but the Keyano College Huskies dug deep and found a way forward to knock off the Lakeland College Rustlers in a marathon match (25-19, 15-25, 25-13, 18-25, 15-7) in the second semifinal to earn themselves a shot at gold at the 2024 ACAC Men's Volleyball Championship.

The Huskies are looking to claim the ACAC Men's Volleyball Championship for the first time since 2018-19, and they will face off with the NAIT Ooks at 7 p.m. tomorrow for conference supremacy.

The man in the middle of it all was Athus Silva, as the ACAC North All-Conference middle led the Huskies with 18 points (10 kills, five blocks, three aces) and dug up four balls, while Preston Yole added 16 points (13 kills on a .409 hitting percentage, two blocks, one ace), and ACAC North Rookie of the Year Rafael Parada's skills were on full display once more with a 14-point performance (10 kills, four aces) to go with six digs.

On the other side, Gabriel Bjorkas got into double digits with a team-high 14 points (10 kills, three aces, one block) and three digs, while Vaughn Zimmer built on his strong opener with an 11-point night (nine kills, two aces) to go with four digs, and Declan Mercer scored nine points (seven kills, .667 hitting percentage, one block, one ace).

The Rustlers now drop to the bronze medal matchup at 4 p.m., with the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings waiting for them.

Players of the Game
KC | Preston Yole
LAKE | Gabriel Bjorkas