Briercrest Clippers win ACAC bronze after straight-sets win against RDP Queens

Feb. 24, 2024 – The Briercrest College Clippers swept the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens 3-0 and walked away with bronze medals Saturday at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women's Volleyball Championships at Lethbridge College.  

"Bronze medals are always tough games to play, because you lose that semi and you're just not quite into the game you want to be in," says Clippers Head Coach Rhonda Schmuland. "But even last night I could tell that we wanted to be here today and play together one last time. Our performance this afternoon just shows the depth of character we have on our team, the leadership, the passion and the grit that we have. It was so great to see the girls come out and play so unified with each other. I'm just so proud of them." 

When the teams met in conference play earlier this year, the Clippers defeated the Queens 3-1 and 3-2. 

The first set Saturday afternoon was tightly contested throughout, with more than a dozen tied scores and seven lead changes as the teams worked their way to 25. The biggest lead before the end of the set came from the Queens, who were up 19-16, but the Clippers battled back and tied the score at 19, 20 and 21. The Clippers then went up 22-21 thanks to an ace by Clippers outside hitter Julia Beer (fourth year, Niverville, Man., Bachelor of Arts – Christian Ministry), who was named to the all-conference team. With the Clippers leading 23-21, the Queens called a timeout, and when the teams returned to the court, the Clippers finished with a 25-22 win. 

The second set belonged to the Clippers, who took the lead at 3-2 and didn't look back. After being tied at five, the Queens never threatened the Clippers' lead, which grew from 14-7 to 20-12 and ended with a final score of 25-16. Smart passes, big digs and well-placed hits seemed to be the tools the Clippers used to maintain control as they went up 2-0 in this bronze medal game. While the Queens had plenty of big hits and excellent blocks of their own, they never seemed to find the rhythm needed to stop the steady Clippers. 

The third set started with a return to the tightly contested play the crowd seemed to love, with eight tied scores as the teams built to 12-12. A well-placed tip by Clippers middle blocker Rachel Stead (third year, Langley, B.C., Bachelor of Arts – Business Administration), who was named to the all-conference team, gave the Clippers their first two-point lead at 14-12. Shortly after, a huge serve by Clippers outside hitter Faith Buhler (fifth year, Portage la Prairie, Man., Bachelor of Arts – Psychology) took the score to 17-14, and the Clippers built from there. The Queens called two timeouts late in the set, but the Clippers returned to the court each time with big swings and smart plays, winning the third set 25-18 and the bronze medal in straight sets. 

Outside hitter Jaiden Ferguson (fourth year, Red Deer, Business Administration General) was named player of the game for the Queens, while setter/libero Abby Ulrich (first-year, East St. Paul, Man., Bachelor of Arts – Business Administration) was named player of the game for the Clippers. In addition, Queens setter Emma Letkeman (fourth year, Victoria B.C., Business diploma) and Clippers outside hitter Julia Beer (fourth year, Niverville, Man., Bachelor of Arts – Christian Ministry) were named to the all-tournament team.  

Players of the Game |

Clippers |#15 Abby Ulrich

Queens |#9 Jaiden Ferguson