Weekend Preview: Kodiaks gear up for a packed weekend

Feb. 17, 2023 – The Kodiaks have a busy weekend ahead with nearly all of their indoor teams competing in Alberta College Athletic Conference (ACAC) events.

Postseason action hits the Val Matteotti Gym floor on Friday night as the Kodiaks women’s volleyball team hosts the Medicine Hat College Rattlers in a play-in game. The winner of the one-game playoff will advance to the ACAC championship tournament the following week. The Kodiaks men’s volleyball team is off this weekend after already qualifying for their championship tournament.

The Kodiaks basketball teams will finish their regular season schedule on the road this weekend, playing the Keyano College Huskies on Friday night before travelling to Lakeland College the next day. Both Kodiaks sides have secured a championships spot and will get a taste of what’s ahead as they face some of the ACAC north division’s top teams.

Meanwhile, Kodiaks indoor track looks to continue their hot streak of breaking both school and ACAC records. They will travel to Red Deer to compete in their last ACAC Grand Prix event before conference championships.

The action continues into next week, as Kodiaks men’s and women’s futsal hosts the start of their south division regional tournament. They will host the Medicine Hat College Rattlers on Tuesday evening.

Basketball

WOMEN’S

Kodiaks (13W-6L) vs Keyano College Huskies (11W-7L)

· Friday, Feb. 17 | 6 p.m. at Keyano College

Kodiaks (13W-6L) vs Lakeland College Rustlers (9W-9L)

· Saturday, Feb. 18 | 6 p.m. at Lakeland College

The Kodiaks women’s team looks to close out the regular season by continuing their three-game winning streak. They have a difficult weekend set up as they face the north division’s third and fourth ranked teams. Courtney Deemter (second year, Nursing Bachelors Degree, Calgary) is coming off one of her best all-around games of the season. She was honoured ACAC player of the game and Kodiaks athlete of the week for scoring 17 points with nine rebounds, four steals and four assists. Rookie Tylee Leavitt (first year, Business Admin Management, Cardston) will look to continue putting on offensive pressure. She is a true playmaker for the team and knows how to set up her teammates for success within the paint. 

MEN’S

Kodiaks (16W-3L) vs Keyano College Huskies (18W-0L)

· Friday, Feb. 17 | 8 p.m. at Keyano College

Kodiaks (16W-3L) vs Lakeland College Rustlers (12W-6L)

· Saturday, Feb. 18 | 8 p.m. at Lakeland College

The Kodiaks men’s basketball team looks to carry momentum after clinching the south division title last weekend, securing a top seed at ACAC championships in the process. The team will have to put in work on Friday as they face off against the undefeated Huskies, who are the top-ranked team in the north and second ranked team in the nation. In their last game against the Augustana Vikings, Filip Karanovic (second year, General Studies, Herceg Novic, Montenegro) came off the bench to lead their team with 23 points to go along with seven assists, three steals and two rebounds. Paycen Blackmore (second year, Business Admin Accounting, Magrath) is one of the best shooters in the conference with a 56.3 field goal percentage.

Indoor Track

ACAC Grand Prix #2

Saturday, Feb. 18 | Hosted by Red Deer Polytechnic

The Kodiaks indoor track team looks to continue their string of great results which has seen both school and ACAC record breaking performances. The men’s team enters the weekend ranked first in the ACAC. Cooper Williams (first year, Wind Turbine Technician, Cardston) recently set a new Lethbridge College school record in the 1000m, running it in 2:34.39. The women’s team is currently fourth in the ACAC team rankings. Team captain Maria Boix‐Frias (second year, Massage Therapy, Banyoles, Girona) is looking to improve on her fourth ranked finish in women’s 600m.

Volleyball

WOMEN’S

Kodiaks (10W-9L) vs Medicine Hat Rattlers (5W-14L) 

· Friday, Feb. 17 | 6 p.m. at Val Matteotti Gymnasium 

The Kodiaks women’s volleyball team will look to use home court advantage as they take on Medicine Hat College in a do-or-die play-in game on Friday night. The team will look to their outside seniors Jamie Brown (fifth year, Exercise Science, Fort Macleod) and Mack Lewicki (fifth year, Open Studies, Taber) to lead them to success. Brown is ranked fourth in the conference in kills per set averaging 3.18. Lewicki has come up big defensively, currently ranked ninth in the ACAC averaging 2.75 digs per set.

The winner of Friday’s showdown advances to the ACAC championship tournament hosted in Red Deer next week.

Ticket Information – Tickets for the play-in volleyball game are available at the Val Matteotti Gym door and are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, youth, and alumni, $4 for college employees and free for students.

Futsal

WOMEN’S

Kodiaks vs Medicine Hat Rattlers

· Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 5 p.m. at Val Matteotti Gymnasium 

MEN’S

Kodiaks vs Medicine Hat Rattlers

· Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 7 p.m. at Val Matteotti Gymnasium 

Futsal teams from the south division will kick-off the ACAC regional tournament next week, as the Kodiaks play a rare Tuesday match against geographic rival MHC. The Kodiaks will take on the Rattlers on Tuesday night before heading to Medicine Hat from Feb. 24 to 26 to take on the rest of the south division field. The top three teams from the regional tournament will advance to the ACAC championships beginning March 10 in Fort McMurray.

On the men’s side, Daniel Okpala (fourth year, Open Studies, Lethbridge) will be counted on for veteran leadership, with head coach Sean Carey considering his footwork to be amongst the best in Alberta. He recently represented Yukon in the Canadian futsal national championships. The Kodiaks women will be led by Taylor Hrycun (fourth year, General Studies, Edmonton), an extremely strong all-around player who will be matched up to defend other team’s top players.

Ticket Information – Admission for Kodiaks futsal games is free for all spectators.