2024 ACAC MVB Championship Weekend Recap
Despite a tough finish to the season, men's volleyball are holding their heads high after accomplishing what previous iterations of the program could not.
Taylor Dyer's squad placed fourth at the ACAC Championship last weekend in Olds, officially making the 2023/2024 campaign the best in the history of men's volleyball at Lakeland College. Ranked 14th in the country and third in the North Division going into the event, the Rustlers came away with multiple accolades at the Awards Banquet on Wednesday. Setter Kiefer Sinclair and third year libero Jake Willick both earned All-Conference selections to the North Division Team, while Dyer was named North Coach of the Year for the first time. This was Willick's second All-Conference selection and the second Dyer family member to win Coach of the Year.
The tournament began with a tough test, the defending champion Briercrest Clippers. In their only matchup of the season, the Clippers were victorious in Caranport 3-1, but Lakeland was missing starting Willick for that weekend and playing in Briercrest unusually low-roof gymnasium. A high ceiling at Olds indicated the matchup would feel different.
In the opening set, the Rustlers came out flying, putting tremendous pressure on Briercrest's passers and getting consistent, quality swings on the outside to win 25-17. In the second, the Clippers looked shellshocked, unable to mount any consistency in the side out game, as Lakeland took the set 25-16. By the third, the defending champs found their groove and the two squads went back and forth in one of the best sections of volleyball all tournament. Neither team was able to gain large separation until Lakeland earned match points. Briercrest initially fought off the inevitable, but a Brock Tomyn swing ended the match at 26-24. Vaughn Zimmer had his best match of the year, with 11 kills and no errors on 18 attempts, along with 2 blocks and 4 digs.
Next was the semifinals, where they faced the top seeded Keyano Huskies. While Player of the Year Joao Cunha was out with an injury, the Huskies were still a dangerous team, having lost only three matches this year.
The match was filled with long serving runs, with each team trading blows per set. Gabriel Bjorkas was on fire from the service line, scoring 3 aces and constantly keeping the Huskies out of system, while also adding 10 kills. However, this wasn't the Rustlers night, as they would fall to Keyano 19-25, 25-15, 13-25, 25-18, 7-15.
In the bronze medal matchup the following day with the RDP Kings, Lakeland had another marathon match, coming form behind again to force a fifth set. Despite an early lead, they weren't able to outlast the more physical Kings, losing the match 17-25, 25-15, 21-25, 25-23, 11-15. Tomyn had a team high 13 kills, while Bjorkas and Sinclair each had 4 aces. For his serving prowess, Bjorkas was named to the tournament All-Star Team.
Head coach Taylor Dyer had high praise for his team following the weekend, noting that in a season of firsts, it was a breakout campaign for players like Tomyn and Bjorkas who had been waiting for the opportunity to be on the floor over the last two years.
"Those guys really coming through, creating a spark for our team and I thought we played really well," he said. "To lose in five in the semis and bronze, those are tough matches, but we should be pretty happy with our performance, it just didn't go our way this time.
"It's another first, being on the championship side, a step forward of where we want to go. With a good majority of the guys returning [next year], it's a great experience to move forward with."
Willick finishes his program and will move on from the Rustlers next year, but currently the majority of the roster is slated to come back next fall. Based on the progress of this season, the future is bright for men's volleyball.