By Justin Steenhof

 

Briercrest Clippers women’s volley team faced a tough Lakeland College Rustlers squad in their home opener on Friday, November 2.  The Briercrest women came into this game sporting an even one-win one-loss record while Lakeland had yet to play.

The Lakeland Rustlers came out strong taking control at the net. Early blocking and smartly placed tips led to a 13-8 lead, which force Briercrest to take an early time-out. Briercrest responded with the strong hitting of Erin Anderson and Elly Wendel, but Lakeland again stood strong at the net responding with solid blocking and some kills of their own. The two teams traded points resulting in another timeout by Briercrest with the home team down 20-15.  Two straight kills by Mikayla Reinhart brought Briercrest within three. A huge double block by Elly Wendel and Whitney Zylstra quickly resulted in the Rustler coach calling a timeout to settle his players down. Briercrest fended off 3 set points but a missed serve gave Lakeland a 1-0 set lead.

Briercrest responded well though taking an early3-1 lead in the second set. However, the Rustlers quickly seized back the moment with strong hitting and passing to tie the game at five. The momentum again shifted due to two huge hits by Erin Anderson and Elly Wendel.  Again though Lakeland responded with a big kill themselves but some smart play at the net by Briercrest resulted in a 10-6 lead and a timeout call by the Lakeland coach. Lakeland came out flying after the timeout earning two straight points and continued the momentum with strong serving to tie the game. The two teams traded kills as the momentum continued to shift back and forth. Lakeland continued to push though and fended off a Briercrest surge, that consisted of a kill by Wendel and a nicely placed tip by the Clippers’ setter Amanda Lundquist, holding a 18-15 lead resulting in a Briercrest timeout. The two teams traded kills but again Lakeland seized the momentum with strong serving and a few critical blocks. Strong serving by Lundquist combined with a few kill and solid blocking cut into the Lakeland lead and let to a timeout by the guest team. Again though a missed serve off the timeout would result in the Rustlers taking the set 25-20 and 2-0 set lead.

Lakeland came out strong as they looked to finish Briercrest in three straight. Strong serving alongside some well-placed kills led the early 7-1 lead and resulted in a Briercrest timeout. The teams traded points as Briercrest looked to climb back in the game and a monster kill by Wendel furthered the cause. Strong serving and blocking allowed Briercrest to cut further into the lead as they slowly clawed their way back into the game. A smartly placed tip by Anderson and a stuff block by Zylstra narrowed the gap to only five as Briercrest continued to work themselves back into the game. Lakeland responded well with two straight points making the score 21-16 and leading to a Briercrest timeout. Briercrest would again make a final stand through fending off several match points causing the Rustlers to use up a timeout. However, this final stand would fall short, as Lakeland would take the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.

Lakeland player of the Game: #5 Erin McGladdery with 11 kills, 3 service aces, 9 digs and 2 blocks

Briercrest player of the Game: #5 Mikayla Reinhardt with 8 kills, 3 service aces, 5 digs and 1 block

Briercrest’s record falls to 1-2 while the Rustlers start their season on a winning note. The two teams will meet again at 1:00 pm on Saturday.