Lakeland Rustlers repeat as ACAC champions, sweeping Ambrose Lions 3-0
February 24, 2024 – The Lakeland College Rustlers held off a tenacious Ambrose University Lions team to earn back-to-back gold medals Saturday at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women's Volleyball Championships at Lethbridge College.
The Rustlers' 3-0 win means the defending national champions will head to Red Deer Polytechnique to defend their title starting March 6 at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship tournament.
Saturday night's win was "a little bit of a relief" for Rustlers Head Coach Austin Dyer, as two starting players fell ill with a flu Friday night, and only one was able to suit up for the gold medal game.
"So right now I feel a little bit of relief, but at the same time, I'm just ecstatic with what this group did and what we've done the last two years," he says. "Winning is hard, and the fact that we were able to win back-to-back ACAC championships is super exciting."
Dyer praised tournament hosts Lethbridge College for "making this feel so welcoming and being so accommodating. It was a great championship."
As for what's next, "We returned our whole starting lineup from last year's national championship, and so, we're going there to win it," he says. "We're going to have a shot."
The Rustlers and Lions played the gold medal game in front of a full and enthusiastic crowd in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. When the teams met in conference play earlier this year, the Rustlers defeated the Lions 3-0.
In the first set Saturday, the Rustlers got off to a quick 5-1 start. The Lions quickly responded, tying the score at five. An ace by Rustlers outside hitter Lana Matthews (fourth year, Sturgeon County, Alta., Business Administration) took the score to 7-5, and then momentum shifted for the Lions in the middle of the set, and they built their lead up to 13-10. The Rustlers stayed steady and took over the lead at 14-13 and added three more points before the Lions called a timeout. Heading back to the court, the Rustlers showed why they were ranked first in Canada at the end of the season, steadily chipped away to win the first set 25-18.
The second set started off with quick exchanges of points, with the teams tying three times before they got to 4-4. The Lions took the lead at 5-4, and then an ace that landed right on the back corner line from Lions middle Willow Lewington (fifth year, Calgary, Biology), the ACAC South Player of the Year, made it 6-4. The Lions held the lead through 7-6, but then the Rustlers responded, building the score slowly and steadily with clean passes, steady sets and well-placed hits. The Lions took their first timeout with the Rustlers leading 16-12, and back on the court, the great hustle from both teams continued. The Lions pressed on every point and narrowed the Rustlers' lead to 23-19, but the defending national champions held strong and finished with a 25-19 win.
The third set gave the animated crowd a lot to cheer for, as the teams exchanged points and the lead throughout the first third of the set. However, after the Rustlers took the lead at 7-6, they held it for the rest of the match, building it from 13-8 – when the Lions called their first timeout – to 15-9 to 18-11 – when the Lions called their second timeout. The Lions never relented and kept pressing the Rustlers, but the Lakeland team pushed on, stretching the lead from 20-12 to 23-15 before finishing the last set 25-18 and securing the ACAC banner with a 3-0 sweep.
Libero Christina Bett (third year, Calgary, Psychology) was named Player of the Game for the Lions, while outside hitter Kaylie Lueck (fifth year, Regina, Business Administration) was named Player of the Game for the Rustlers. In addition, Lewington and left side hitter Elise Wagner (third year, Delta, B.C. Biology) were named to the all-tournament team for the Lions, while Matthews and outside hitter Jenay Varga (fourth year, Muenster, Sask., University Transfer – Bachelor of Arts) were named to the all-tournament team for the Rustlers. Rustlers setter Jana Liang (fourth year, Portage La Prairie, Man., University Transfer – Bachelor of Science) was named the tournament most valuable player.
Players of the Game |
Lions |#4 Christina Bett
Rustlers |#12 Kaylie Lueck