CCAA Semi-Finals: Lakeland Rustlers 3, Humber Hawks 1
The Pacific Coast seems to be made for Lakeland, as the Rustlers are returning to the CCAA gold medal final for the first time since winning gold in Victoria, B.C. in 2017.
This year’s trip to the championship final comes on the back of a 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-16, 25-12) victory over the OCAA champion Humber Hawks. This semi-final matchup between two of the top-ranked teams in the CCAA throughout the season saw some big kills as well as some of the most devastating blocks in the tournament so far.
The gravity of the moment never seemed to bother the Rustlers throughout the game, and their focus and drive was in full effect in the first set, getting leads of 7-2, 14-7, and 20-10 on the way to the 25-14 victory.
Humber picked up their game in the second set, as setter Stephanie Armstrong started to find spaces between the Rustler defenders for quick attacks. Tied 23-23, a big kill down the sideline from Humber All-Canadian Erika Dodd and a Lakeland attempt that went long gave the Hawks the set victory.
In the third and fourth sets, Lakeland All-Canadian Jenay Varga took over the game, displaying incredible vision and skill as she alternated between big swings and carefully placed tips from the outside. From 22-16, Lakeland’s Kaylie Lueck served out the rest of the set.
The Rustlers got even stronger in the fourth set, rushing out to a 9-3 advantage and hit 21 points before the Hawks hit double-digits. A massive strike from the Rustlers’ Lana Matthews was dug into the ceiling to finish off the match and guarantee Lakeland will return to Lloydminster with a CCAA medal.
The 4Imprint Players of the Game were Varga for Lakeland and Armstrong for Humber.
The Rustlers will play for CCAA gold against Camosun on Saturday at 6 p.m. while the Hawks will face the Édouard-Montpetit Lynx in a bronze semi-final at 6 p.m. on Friday.
CCAA Quarter-Finals: Humber Hawks 3, VIU Mariners 1
There will be a new champion in CCAA women’s volleyball for the first time in five seasons as the Humber Hawks recovered after losing the first set to defeat the host Mariners 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 25-22, 25-21).
VIU, fueled by a packed home gym, took the first set on some electrifying kills from outside hitters Jane Lytvynenko and Cassidy Kitchen. The Hawks did not back down in the slightest, taking the second set decisively with a balanced offense led by Keyome Ellis, Erika Dodd, and Cassidy Andrews. While the Mariners showed pockets of inspired play, strong serving and a tough middle game from the Hawks won the day as they held tough through sets 3 and 4.
The 4Imprint Players of the Game were Ara Telan (Humber), who had a number of momentum-swinging kills and blocks, and setter Linnea Brickwood (VIU), who provided plenty of quality assists to the Mariners hitters.
The Hawks will face the Lakeland Rustlers in the second semi-final game on Thursday (8 p.m.) while the Mariners move to the bronze bracket and will face the USB Les Rouges at 3 p.m.
Source: VIU Mariners/CCAA Communications
Championship Website: https://www.ccaa.ca/sports/wvball/championship/index
Championship Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/user/CCAAsportsACSC
