Seeking to match the ladies’ sweep, the Briercrest men took to the floor against a hungry Ambrose Lions squad. Both teams executed well in the opening set, but neither could gain a definitive advantage. Briercrest’s Brad Harms and Bryan Fountain emphatically rejected Graeson Bergen’s lefty attack to give Briercrest a 12-11 edge. Out of the ensuing Ambrose time out, former Briercrest student-athlete Keaton Strom pushed the Lions to a 14-12 lead with a power tip off a block, but timely hitting by Taylor Klassen and three service points by Calvin Sawatzky enabled Briercrest to grab the opening set, 25-19.

The start of the second set mirrored the first, with neither team able to break the game open, but Bryan Fountain broke a tie game wide open with six consecutive points on serve, giving the home squad a 14-7 advantage. Matt Ginter and Javier Alvarez subbed in and immediately rewarded their coaches’ trust by combining for a slick backside hit. A massive block by Sawatzky and Mitch Ericksen on game point pushed Briercrest to a 25-17 victory.

On the strength of Graeson Bergen’s effective serving to open the third set, Ambrose raced to an 8-4 advantage, but a Taylor Klassen ace allowed Briercrest to battle back and knot the game at 11-11. Coach Nigel Mullen sent out Ginter and Alvarez; again, the pair energized the offense, and Briercrest jumped to a 17-14 lead. Ambrose refused to cave in, fought back to tie the set 23-23. Mitch Erickson’s crafty right-side attack found the floor and gave Briercrest the set, 27-25.

For Briercrest, Brad Harms received the nod as Player of the Game (five kills, two aces, two digs and one block). Graeson Bergen led Ambrose with five kills, four aces, and two digs, and was chosen POG. Briercrest setter Ludvig Larsen led all players with 21 assists, while Briercrest libero Dalon Hordyk had 8 digs. Briercrest’s Fountain impressed in his home debut, registering four aces.

For up to date information on the Briercrest Men’s Volleyball team and Briercrest Athletics, “like” us on Facebook or at gobriercrest.ca. To watch games online go to acactv.ca