Rustlers Men's Volleyball | Weekend Recap - January 10 & 11, 2020
The Rustlers men's volleyball team opened their second semester with two wins over the Concordia Thunder.
The Rustlers were victorious in Edmonton in Friday night over the Concordia Thunder in 5 sets (22-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-27, 15-10). The Rustlers had a slow start and would pay the price at the end of the first set where they would fall to the Thunder by 3 points, 22-25. In the second set, the Rustlers would push back and win in extra points 26-24.
The Rustlers would carry this momentum into the third set where they were a force to be reckoned with. They would go on to win the third set handily, 25-15. With the game on the line, the Thunder would push back and force the fourth set into extra points once again. The Thunder had just enough in them to force a fifth set as they would win the fourth set 25-27 over the Rustlers.
To start the fifth set the Rustlers were confident and would go up 8-2 at the switch. The Thunder would attempt a push back, but it was not enough to overpower the Rustlers who would win the fifth set 15-10 and the match.
Player of the game for the Rustlers was fourth year middle blocker Tyler Williamson with 9 kills, 2 aces, 3 blocks and 2 digs. Second-year outside hitter Ryan van Oosterwijk had 10 kills, 10 digs and 1 block in the match, and fourth-year right side hitter Cole Sutherland had 7 kills, 2 aces, 1 block and 12 digs.
On Saturday night the Rustlers were much more assertive in their victory over the Concordia Thunder in 3 sets (25-20, 26-24, 25-18).
From the start, the Rustlers controlled the flow of the game. They would win the first set fairly handily, 25-20. However, in the second set the Thunder would force some extra points. Even under a little bit of pressure, the Rustlers were able to come out on top in the second set winning 26-24.
In the third set the Rustlers took their momentum and ran away with it, winning the set 25-18 and the match in 3 quick sets. Player of the game for the Rustlers was second-year setter, Lane Blight with 34 assists, 1 kill, 1 ace, 1 block and 7 digs. Both fourth-year outside hitter, Matt Peck, and second-year outside hitter, Ryan van Oosterwijck had 10 kills each. Fourth-year libero Jean Carlos Funez had a team-high 14 digs in the match.
The Rustlers will return to homecourt to take on the Keyano College Huskies this upcoming weekend in their double-header home series. Game times are 8 pm on Friday, January 17th and 3 pm on Saturday, January 18th.
The Rustlers volleyball teams are holding a Food Drive at Friday night's games where fans can bring a non-perishable food item to get into the game for free! All proceeds will be going to the Salvation Army in Lloydminster.