With an emphatic final kill, Patrik Toze secured the Red Deer Kings a berth in the national championship. The big smash by Toze (fourth year, Bachelor of Kinesiology, Brisbane, Australia) finished off a straight-sets win for the Kings over the Briercrest Clippers in the first semifinal of the Murray Chevrolet Cadillac 2020 ACAC Men’s Volleyball Championships. The win returns Red Deer to the ACAC championship game for the first time in three seasons, following a run of seven-straight years playing for a title. 

The victory also means the Kings qualify for the national championships in Fredericton, N.B., as the ACAC has a wildcard berth this year. 

“Our maturity showed through tonight,” said Kings head coach Aaron Schulha. “We were really good from the service line and got some timely blocks and digs at the end of the first set, which allowed us to build momentum and we kind of carried that all the way through.” 

The first set stayed within two points the entire way, until the very end when the Kings opened it up for a 25-20 win. ACAC Player of the Year Karym Coleman (second year, BA Business Administration, Belize City, Belize) did what he could for the Clippers, firing eight kills, but ACAC south division Rookie of the Year Carter Hills (first year, Bachelor of Education Science, Legal, AB) responded with six kills for the Kings. 

In the second set, the Kings got out to an early lead and never looked back, cruising to a 25-13 win. Ben Holmes (fourth year, Bachelor of Arts, Red Deer) had two kills and one ace, while Toze added two more kills. Bryton Codd (second year, MA Leadership and Management, Belize City, Belize) led the Clippers with three kills, but a six-point tear by Red Deer near the end dashed any hopes of a Clippers comeback. 

“Credit to Red Deer, I thought they blocked really well,” said Clippers head coach Nigel Mullan. “They had a good jump on it and they pass well. They were a very formidable opponent, hats off to them.” 

In the third, the Kings established themselves early on and the Clippers were never able to recover, as Red Deer earned the sweep with a 25-19 win. Toze once again led the Kings with four of his team-high 12 kills. Coleman added four kills of his own, part of his game-high 16, but it was not enough to get the win. 

“Our captains have done a really good job with this group,” said Schulha. “Getting second at nationals at home last year left a little chip on the shoulder of the returning guys. So we’ve worked every day to try and get back there and they've earned that, which is awesome.” 

The Red Deer Kings will play for gold at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday against either Lethbridge College or SAIT. The Kings won seven-straight conference medals from 2011 to 2017, including a span of four gold medals in five years. The Clippers will play for bronze at 3 p.m. 

Players of the game: 

Briercrest: Karym Coleman
Red Deer: Patrik Toze