King’s Eagles soar past Lethbridge College Kodiaks at ACAC championships
Feb. 23, 2024 – The King's University Eagles drew on their strong defence and the desire to avenge a first-day loss in their 3-0 win over the host Lethbridge College Kodiaks in second-day action Friday at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women's Volleyball Championships.
Eagles head coach Grace Scott says the team's loss Thursday to an "on-fire" Red Deer Polytechnic Queens team was tough. "So it's nice to be able to come back the next day and turn it around and have some energy," she adds. "Lethbridge certainly came after us in that first set – and we kind of stole it away. I would say they earned that first set – so a lot of credit to Lethbridge. We love being here."
Scott says the team was able to call on its usual strong defence to keep the pressure on the Kodiaks. "Red Deer ran perhaps a little faster offence on us yesterday, and our blocking wasn't there and that affected our defence, but we're able to make some changes for today," she says. "That is a little bit more how we've been playing all season – to have some solid blocks. I'm really proud of the girls – even when they had some tough hits, they dug them up and we could transition into an offence."
In their earlier matchup this season, the Eagles also won in straight sets.
In the first set of Friday's game, the teams kept it close, exchanging points back and forth until the Kodiaks took an 8-5 lead. The Eagles battled back and kept the pressure on, eventually tying the score at 11. The Kodiaks drew on the good energy of the home court, taking the score to 19-15 before the Eagles called a timeout. Back in the match, the Eagles chipped away at the Kodiaks' lead, tying the score at 19 and leading the Kodiaks to call a timeout. With strong serving from setter Taryn Bach (third year, Lethbridge, Open Studies), the Kodiaks brought the score to 23-20, but they couldn't hold back the Eagles. After facing tied scores at 23, 24 and 25, the Eagles went on to win the first set 27-25.
In the second set, the Eagles dominated, starting with a 7-1 lead before the Kodiaks called their first timeout. The Kodiaks fought back, though, chipping away at the score but the Eagles kept the pressure on with hard hits, taking the score to 18-9 when the Kodiaks called their second timeout. Back in the match, the Kodiaks added two quick points with big hits and smart plays, but couldn't catch up. The Eagles took the second set 25-13.
The third set got off to a close start, with the team's exchanging points before tying the set at five. With lots of chatter on the court and cheering the crowd, the Kodiaks kept the pressure on, leading 8-6 before the Eagles started clawing back. In the middle of the set, the Eagles went on a six-point run, taking the score to 17-10 when the Kodiaks called a timeout. The Kodiaks fought back with some big hits and a lot of hustle, but the Eagles didn't give up and won the set 25-14, earning a straight sets win over the hosts and a spot in fifth place match tomorrow.
Middle Ashley Lockwood (third year, Sherwood Park, Alta., Interdisciplinary Science), who was named to the all-conference team Thursday night, was named player of the game for the Eagles. Middle Eryka Woods (third year, Lethbridge, Business Administration) was named player of the game for the Kodiaks.
Players of the Game|
Eagles|#3 Ashley Lockwood
Kodiaks|#17 Eryka Woods