Women's Volleyball Huskies rise to first in ACAC North with weekend sweep of Thunder

While January is the perfect time for some to say, ‘new year, new me’, the Keyano Huskies Women’s Volleyball team kept clicking along on their impressive pace with a weekend sweep of the Concordia Thunder.

The two straight-sets victories propelled the Huskies to a 10-1 record on the season and into first place in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference’s (ACAC) North Division ahead of the idle Lakeland Rustlers.
 
“I don’t know if we are thinking about being top yet,” Head Coach Tommy Sloan said of the team's position. “There’s still some big matches to go, but the sweep was fantastic.  
 
“We were a little bit messy on Friday I think is maybe the right word, but we were good enough to get it done and then we cleaned up almost every area Saturday and it just felt like a really solid consistent win.”  

Friday’s 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-21) win was led by six-kill efforts by Saige Kehoe and Karlene Kaminski. Taya McCarthy and Amanda Onyeukwu also stepped up with four kills each.  
 
Defensively, Milan Schapowal, Erika Box, McCarthy, and Kehoe each had a pair of blocks as part of the Huskies’ 10 blocks on the night. Box also handled the majority of the setting duties with 13 more assists to her name and Drew Jacobson added a team-leading seven digs.

Friday’s performance was aided by a holiday trip to British Columbia’s Lower Mainland where the Huskies kept their skills sharp between the end of the first half and the start of the second. 

“We only had a couple practices in between B.C. and this game just from class schedules and whatnot,” Sloan added. “The transition was much smoother than maybe it would’ve been otherwise with just some training.  
 
“Getting that really solid competition in B.C. kept us on the right track. Friday, we struggled a bit, but it wasn’t due to rust or anything. We showed that on Saturday that we were ready to go.”  

Saturday’s 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-15) win was led by a nine-kill performance from Onyeukwu, with Kaminski and McCarthy each totaling eight kills themselves.  
 
A facet that Sloan emphasized from Saturday was utilizing his entire lineup more. Klara Kubicka, Makala Wideman, Rory Bell, Gaby Buffong, Natasa Maric all saw action on the court Saturday in addition to the team’s usual starting lineup.  

“Those little things are always nice to see,” Sloan added. “Those players will be important for the second half.”  

Jacobson continued her strong season with her sixth double-digit dig performance at the libero position. Buffong earned her first ACAC kill, and rookie Rory Bell contributed valuable minutes to the Huskies’ overall attack.  

With eight games left in the regular season, even a temporary claim of first place is a positive for Sloan and company.  

However, the focus shifts squarely to the final four weekends. Eight games; all against North Division opponents to sort out the playoff seeding. With first place through sixth place still separated by just 12 points, teams will be preparing themselves for a wild finish to the season.  

“We’ve talked about how this last four weeks is just kind of a gauntlet,” Sloan continued. “I hope there’s no need to keep them focused on what matters. I think we’re pretty aware that it only gets harder from here and so we’re motivated to play NWP at home.
 
“We’re definitely just one week at a time because the games are going to be too challenging. to look past.” 
 
The Huskies play host to the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves this coming weekend at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre. Friday’s action begins with a first serve at 6:00pm followed by a 1:00pm first serve Saturday.