Kodiaks rise in the competitive ACAC South
So how close was the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference men’s volleyball South Division?
So close that the Lethbridge College Kodiaks finished the regular season with a 16-8 record and still had to fight for their playoff lives on the last day of the season.
Fortunately, the Kodiaks got it done on Saturday afternoon at the Val Matteotti Gynasium, blanking the Olds College Broncos 3-0 to not only earn their playoff spot, but clinch second in the south, just ahead of the Briercrest Clippers, who also finished 16-8.
The Red Deer Kings (15-9) finished two points behind in fourth, but lost their playoff berth to the Medicine Hat Rattlers (13-11) who are this year’s provincial hosts. When the ACAC championship host doesn’t place in the top-four, they take the place of the fourth seeded team in their division.
Which made Saturday’s game a must-win.
“If we would have lost, we would have missed the playoffs. It’s crazy. I think it shows you how competitive our division is,” said Kodiaks head coach Greg Gibos. “I think we knew all year there was going to be one really good team not even make it to the ACAC playoffs. There were only four of us that were going to get in and I think five of us have been ranked in the top 10 in the country at one point this year. You’re looking at the top 10 teams in the country not able to get themselves in. That doesn’t even include Ambrose and I think they’re a really good team, too. They had a six-foot-four exuniversity setter and six-foot-seven left side. They had some good players.”
The Kodiaks started the weekend with a 3-0 win over the Broncos Friday, setting up the must-win rematch Saturday.
“I thought we were a little flat on Friday,” said Gibos. “So in our postmatch we talked about urgency, focus and execution and things we knew we had to take care of and that were controllable, our mental side of the game. (Saturday) I thought the boys really answered the bell. We looked like a team that needed to win to get into the playoffs rather than a team that was playing out the schedule. For us, it was really nice to see that urgency and I’m really happy for the boys.”
Now, the Kodiaks head down the road to Medicine Hat for provincials starting Thursday as they face the Kings University College Eagles — who placed third in the ACAC North Division at 12-12 — in the opening game Thursday at 6 p.m.
“Everyone was just so happy for the group,” said Gibos. “The biggest thing is our guys genuinely like each other. For us, the most exciting part was knowing that we get to spend another week together and go on a road trip and spend a couple more nights in a hotel. For them, I’m really happy that all that hard work that that group of guys has put in together has paid off for them and they got to have that moment as a group to enjoy themselves. I’m really thankful those guys have the opportunity to do this together.”
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