VB Recap | Men tame Lions, women fall

Jan. 31, 2020 - It was a tale of two straight sets matches at the Val Matteotti Gymnasium on Thursday night.

Lethbridge's women were desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but ultimately fell in straight sets to the Ambrose Lions despite showing flashes of much improved play. The Kodiaks found themselves jumping out to a 7-1 in the third set and nearly pushed the game further, until a furious Lions rally sealed the match. 

As expected, the Kodiaks men took care of business by sweeping aside the Lions in three sets, although to their credit Ambrose gave the hosts all they could handle, repeatedly making things interesting late in sets.  

A large crowd enjoyed special giveaways as part of the Kodiaks second ACAC Make Some Noise for Mental Health night. The night also featured an appearance from GirlGang Kindness, a group devoted to fostering kindness and positivity throughout Lethbridge. 

WVB | Ambrose 3 at Kodiaks 0

The Lethbridge College Kodiaks hosted the Ambrose Lions at the Val Matteotti gym on Thursday evening during their Make Some Noise initiative. 

Tonight's match started out with both teams going point for point. The Lions came out aggressive as they took an early three point lead. The Kodiaks quickly regrouped and went on a little run of their own. Jamie Brown broke the tie with a strong kill down the middle that gave the Kodiaks their first lead of the game. 

The match was even as the Lions refused to give Lethbridge any sort of momentum. However, the Kodiaks had other plans as two strong blocks from Maile Funa gave the Kodiaks a 16-13 lead. This forced the Lions head coach Colin Kubinec to call a timeout. This was efficient for the Lions as they bounced back to take a 23-21 lead. Although the Kodiaks regrouped with a timeout, the Lions managed to hold on and take the set 25-22. 

Both teams were determined as the second set was point for point. The Lions had a small run of their own but Lethbridge would eventually match the score with kills from Funa. The Lions found themselves down 18-16. Coach Kubinec made two substitutions that brought Ambrose back in the mix. The Lions took a 21-19 lead that led to a Lethbridge timeout. Ashleigh Wolensky had four kills and Maddy Williscroft had five kills in the second set that gave Ambrose the 25-21  win. The Lions took a 2-0 lead. 

The Kodiaks came out firing as Funa had two kills and Brown with a massive ace. The Kodiaks managed to take an early seven point lead in the set. The Lions would bounce back after refocusing from a timeout as they tied the game 15-15. The Kodiaks and Lions fought point for point. Ambrose used a late run to take the third set 25-23. The Lions took the game with a 3-0 win. 

Players of The Game:

Lions: #06 Maddy Williscroft

Kodiaks: #14 Sarah Hazen

MVB | Ambrose 0 at Kodiaks 3 

The Lethbridge College Kodiaks hosted the Ambrose Lions at the Val Matteotti gym on Thursday evening during their Make Some Noise initiative. The Kodiaks hosted a pep rally earlier that day to open up the dialogue surrounding mental illnesses, as well as to spread awareness about their MSN night.

As the game got underway, both teams demonstrated great feats of athleticism. The energy was high for both the Lions and Kodiaks which set an early tone for the rest of the match. Zach Wikenheiser of Lethbridge appeared to be all over the court as he pressed for his team to stay dialed in with him. With this focus, the Kodiaks took their first with a score of 25-20. 

The Lions collected themselves after a tight first set to bring the heat in the second. They opened up the match with three points right off the bat. As the game moved on, the Kodiaks started to find their rhythm. They eventually took the lead with a score of 20-15 which forced Lions coach, Paul Armbruster to call a timeout. Carter Hansen of Lethbridge used this time out to his advantage as he seemed to power up for a kill that rebounded off three Lions. The Kodiaks would take the second set with a score of 25-21.

The Kodiaks kept their composure after a rewarding a second set. They managed to take a three point lead. Ambrose found some momentum with two big kills by Josh Nickel. Eventually, the Lions found themselves developing the game their way. With this shift in the third set, Kodiaks head coach Greg Gibos called a timeout in an attempt to direct his squad. Lethbridge listened to their coach, earning a three set sweep.

Players of The Game: 

Lions: #05 Adrian Strandberg

Kodiaks: #08 Michael Hummel