Women's Volleyball Huskies close out exhibition, look to build towards season opener

The Keyano Huskies Women’s Volleyball team gave themselves four more looks at their on-court roster with exhibition games in Red Deer at the end of September. 
 
Described by Head Coach Tommy Sloan as a bit of a ‘mixed bag’ in terms of play, the Huskies ultimately went 2-2 on the weekend, winning Saturday matches against Columbia Bible College and SAIT before dropping games against the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens and Ambrose University Lions.   

“I thought we played really well at moments,” Sloan said. “I thought our SAIT game was probably the most solid we’ve looked all season so far. The rest of the weekend, we were definitely up and down.  
 
“We had some really good moments against Red Deer and Ambrose, some tougher moments against Red Deer and Ambrose. CBC game was a battle; they’re a very scrappy and resilient team. We were able to match that effort level, which was nice to see.”  
 
There is momentum for the Huskies to build off of after their third-straight season of finishing in the top four in the competitive North Division. With the departure of three key starters in Megan Polant, Raisa Stokes, and Hannah Shelemey, the Huskies initiated a stronger youth movement while adding to the team’s group of veteran players to keep the team competitive on the court.  
 
“A lot of people took a step forward from the first weekend,” Sloan said. “Our setters were good. I think our middle play is coming along. We improved our passing so we were able to get our middles going more often.  
 
“A lot of our younger players took a step forward. Our veterans were solid and our younger players are getting better.”  

The squad now has time to make their own internal tweaks before opening the season at home against the NAIT Ooks, one of the matchups that could go a long way in determining playoff positioning in late February.  
 
“We’re taking a look at video now and looking at where the gaps are that we may not have noticed yet; just getting better tactically, understanding how to play the game I think is going to be a big piece for us.”  
 
The Huskies open the season on Friday, October 25 at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre with a 6:00pm first serve.