Lakeland Rustlers Weekend Recap - Jan 29, 2024

It was a quiet weekend for Athletics at Lakeland compared to the last couple months, but Saturday night still proved memorable for Rustlers Nation.

The women's and men's volleyball teams were the lone competitors Friday and Saturday night, taking on the NAIT Ooks. The women's volleyball team were looking to extend their win streak to 11 matches, while the men's matchup was much more pivotal, with the Ooks having recently jumped Taylor Dyer's squad in the North Division standings.

Friday night in Edmonton, the women's match was relatively uneventful, with the Rustlers winning 25-18, 25-9, 25-17. Lana Matthews had 6 kills and 6 service aces, while Avery Bates had a match high 9 kills.

The men had a tougher time on the road Friday, dropping the first two sets 19-25 and 21-25, before responding 25-20 in the third. The fourth was back and forth, before NAIT pulled away late for the victory, 20-25. Gabe Bjorkes had 13 kills for the Rustlers.

Back in Lloydminster Saturday night, the two squads competed on Club Volleyball Night, bringing hundreds of athletes from the area and beyond. The women's match started off ugly for the visitors, with Austin Dyer's team hammering them 25-7. NAIT was stronger the rest of the night, but Lakeland won 25-20, 25-17 to complete the weekend sweep. Matthews and Jenay Varga each had 14 kills, while setter Jana Laing had 36 assists.

In the second event of the evening, Lakeland's men's team played arguably their best match of the year, trading tough serves and big swings with the more physical Ooks. After dropping the first set 24-26, the Rustlers gained a four point lead in the second, before NAIT stormed back to tie things at 24. The hosts showed some resilience to still take the set 27-25 and then blow out the Ooks in the third 25-17. In the fourth, the pace of play returned to the first two sets, with the Rustlers eventually winning 25-22.

Bjorkas had a match high 17 kills, while Brock Tomyn was Player of the Game with 12 kills and 3 aces. Libero Jake Willick also posted 19 digs.

Women's volleyball is now 14-1, having won 11 straight matches and losing just two sets in that span. If they stay on pace, they will only have dropped two more sets than last year's regular season, where they went 18-1 and 56-3 in sets. Men's volleyball snaps a four-match losing streak and is back within one win of the Ooks for second in the North.

This weekend is a big one for multiple Rustlers teams. Basketball is on the road in Grande Prairie to face the NWP Wolves, a key matchup for the men, while the women expect to remain undefeated and first in the country. Futsal is back in Lac La Biche for the second ACAC North Regional, with both teams needing wins to qualify for the Conference Championship. And volleyball has a homestand with the Wolves in Lloydminster Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, with the former landing on Groundhog Day.