MVB | Kodiaks comeback falls short in quarterfinal

March 12, 2020 | Fredericton, N.B. - It was mere points from being a comeback for the ages. Instead, it turned into a nationals quarter-final heartbreaker for the Lethbridge College Kodiaks men's volleyball team. 

Making their first CCAA nationals appearance in the 53 year history of the program, the Kodiaks quickly found themselves down two sets to RSEQ champion Volontaires de Sherbrookem, but managed to force a fifth set with gutsy victories in sets three and four. 

The Kodiaks then rode momentum in the fifth set while jumping out to an 11-8 lead, putting an improbable victory within their sights. 

Instead, a four point rally from the Volontaires swung the match back in their favour and the Kodiaks simply couldn't recover. With the score 14-12, the Volontaires came up with a block to clinch a berth in the CCAA semi-finals. 

Volontaires set the tone early

The teams exchanged the first few points of the match but strong serving helped Sherbrooke take command early. With the score tied at four in the opening set, the Volontaires rattled off nine of the next 12 points to take command, going on to win the opening stanza 25-18. 

The RSEQ champions then won the second set by the same score using largely the same formula, playing mostly error free volleyball. The Kodiaks had just four kills in the set on 22 attempts. 

Kodiaks wake up from hibernation

With their national title dreams quickly evaporating, the Kodiaks reversed their fortunes and finally began to settle in. Malcolm Fisher entered at libero and came up with a series of huge digs while Magrath native Carter Hansen put away four kills and a service ace in the third set to lead the Kodiaks to a tight 25-22 set win. The third set was tied at 19-19 before the Kodiaks claimed six of the next 9 points to extend the match.

Lethbridge rode their momentum and jumped out to an 8-3 advantage in set four, but the Voluntaires eventually recovered and caught the Kodiaks at 18-18. With the match on the line, the Kodiaks came up with big plays down the stretch and eeked out a 25-23 victory, clinching the victory on a Sherbrooke service error. 

Heartbreak in set five

With a semi-final berth on the line, a back and forth fifth set saw both teams steal points off their own serves early, with Lethbridge stealing a point to take an 8-7 lead at the turn. 

The Kodiaks then grabbed the next two points, puttting themselves into good position in leading 10-7. Sherbrooke dug their heels in though, forcing three Kodiaks errors while grabbing the next four points to take the lead, which they wouldn't relinquish. 

Carter Hansen was named the Kodiaks player of the game, knocking down 12 kills and grabbing eight digs. 

Friday's matchups

The Kodiaks will now enter the bronze medal quarter-final match tomorrow at 1 p.m. AST against the ACAA wildcard Holland Hurricanes (PEI). The Hurricanes lost to the OCAA champion Humber Hawks 3-0 earlier on Thursday. 

On the other side of the draw, Red Deer College defeated the host STU Tommies 3-0, while Capilano downed OCAA wildcard Durham College 3-0 to set up the other semi-final.

COVID-19 impact on CCAA Nationals 

The tourmament did not escape the widespread impact of COVID-19 on Thursday, as it was announced the remainder of the tournament will be played without fans. The CCAA will continue to monitor the situation and any updates will be announced on Kodiaks social media sites.