Briercrest’s Men’s and Women’s Volleyball challenged Red Deer College Friday night in back-to-back games. Both Briercrest teams came out with a win after fighting a hard battle that raised tensions across the court and kept both players and fans on their toes.

The women’s game opened with Red Deer scoring the first point that kicked off the consistent rallying between teams. The first set saw both Briercrest and Red Deer take the lead, but Red Deer ultimately won the set with 25-18.

The second set brought Briercrest’s drive out and they responded with several kills by players Samantha Zacharias, Janae Rapley, and Becky Garner. The teams advanced point-for-point, but Red Deer maintained their lead with a three-point difference, leaving them with 25-22 at the end of the set.

The competition ramped up as the teams advanced to their third set. The teams went into the set knowing it could be their last, or continue to a possible fifth set depending on  the result of the  third set. Both teams rallied and saw hard hits by Briercrest, met by strong blocks by Red Deer. Teams were tied at two different times, but Briercrest’s women pulled through and finished the set with a 25-23 win.

This put the game into a fourth set and opened with Briercrest’s Becky Garner throwing a killer serve that took the first point. Red Deer followed Briercrest closely and tied 19-19, but Briercrest kept their edge and finished with a 25-20 win.

In the fifth set Red Deer kept a close lead on Briercrest and differed only by one to two points at any given moment. The hits from both teams intensified, but Briercrest came out with a 15-12 win that was met with cheers from the crowd. Briercrest’s player of the game was #3 Becky Garner with 15 kills, 1 assist, 9 digs, and 3 aces. Red Deer’s player of the game was #6 Miranda Dawe with 13 kills, 1 assist, 5 digs, 2 blocks.

The men’s game began with high energy from both teams that carried into each set. Levi Olsen, for Briercrest, demonstrated his skill by scoring an ace in the first set and creating the pattern of well executed plays that his team made. Red Deer players Evan Parchomuchuk and Adam Turlejski showed their skill when they also made kills for their team. The back-and-forth plays left Briercrest with a 25-22 win.

The second set brought with it rallying paired with lots of kills and blocks by both teams. Briercrest’s Mitch Erickson and Red Deer’s Mark DeWit brought their teams fire in this set, but it was Briercrest that finished with a 25-18 win, putting them one set away from winning the game.

Emotions and excitement picked up when the third set began. Red Deer came in determined to win the set and started with a healthy lead of 7-2. With the help of blocks by Briercrest’s Javier Alvarez and Taylor Klassen and hits by other players, the team slowly gained back their lead. Briercrest steadily gained points and took the game with a close 25-23 win. Briercrest player of the game was #3 Taylor Klassen with 14 kills, 2 digs, and 5 aces. Red Deer’s player of the game was #9 Hamish Hazelden with 8 kills, 3 digs, 1 assist, 2 aces, and 2 blocks.

Article by Ali McMaster