Women's Volleyball News Articles
02.27.12 - End of Season Report
After a season with many highs and lows, the Eagles' year ended after a
difficult qualifier weekend against Lakeland College where they lost two
straight matches in a best of three series. Although the end came as quite a shock to many of the older players, the
Eagles have much to look forward to for next season. With a healthy
mix of returning veterans and rookies, as well as strong committed
recruits, the program can look forward to an even more successful season
next year.
After the qualifier weekend the Eagles had an opportunity to look back
on their season and remember some highlights from the year. These
highlights included the bootcamp that Grace arranged during training
week in which the girls were forced early to, quite literally, lean on
and carry each other through the hard times. At “Rookie Nationals”,
towards the end of the first semester, the first years brought home a
silver medal. Veteran coach, Anita Birkland, was extremely proud of
their performance and shared many hilarious memories with the group.
Another memory was placing second after an intense final at the Red Deer
preseason tournament, as well as earning a silver medal in Quebec at
the Canada Cup where Porcha Diggs and Kaila Whitton were named
tournament All Stars.
With much passion, strength, and experience returning to the Eagles'
roster next year, it is inevitable that the program will continue to
attract promising recruits and grow in strength over the next few years.
Not only do the players bring these strengths, but the coaching staff
has also grown and strengthened over the last few seasons. The athletes
would like to extend a special thank you to their Assistant Coaches,
Oriana Pysyk, Colin Ward, and Tim Veenstra who inspired the team and
challenged them. As well a special thank you to Head Coach, Grace Scott,
whose dedication and commitment helped the team get as far as they did.
02.13.12 - Eagles fall to Wolves
This past weekend the King’s Eagles came up against the Grande Prairie Wolves. Unfortunately, the Eagles did not come out with the two wins they needed to secure a spot in the top 6, and will be playing the Lakeland Rustlers once again this weekend in Qualification Weekend. The Wolves showed up in the Eagles’ home gym, securing the first two sets 25-15 and 25-21. The Eagles were able to recover and take the third set 25-22, however this recovery didn’t carry over into the fourth set where they lost 25-17. Player of the Game was awarded to left-side hitter Marissa Gehlert, whose strong swinging contributed greatly to the Eagles’ offense.
On Saturday the game looked as if
it was going to be a repeat of the night before as the Wolves took the
first two sets 25-15 and 25-19. The Eagles were able to find some
momentum and scraped by a win 26-24 in the third set, and carried this
momentum over into the fourth set, winning 25-18. The game went to a
fifth set that resulted in a very close win in favour of the Wolves,
17-15. Third year middle Rachel Bron received Player of the Game, whose
blocking and hitting made her a massive force at the net.
The Eagles play the Lakeland Rustlers this weekend in Qualification Weekend where game 1 will be at King's on Friday, February 17 at 6 pm, at Lakeland on Saturday at 7 pm, and if necessary, game 3 will be back at King's on Sunday at 6 pm.
02.06.12 - Eagles Split with the Rustlers
This
past weekend The Kings University Eagles took on the Lakeland
Rustlers. The weekend resulted in a split between the two teams, the
Eagles winning Friday and then losing to the Rustlers on Saturday. The
Eagles arrived Friday in Lakeland’s home gym eager to play. However,
the Rustlers won the first set and second set 17-25 and 21-26. The
Eagles fought back and started playing more consistently winning the 3rd
and 4th sets 25-22 and 25-19 resulting in a play down in the 5th. The
Eagles were able to finish strong and won the 5th set 15-9, taking home
the win for Friday night. The ACAC Player of the Game went to the
setter, Porcha Diggs, who demonstrated great defense and dominated at
the net with blocks and powerful dumps.
On
Saturday the Eagles hosted the Rustlers in their home gym. The Eagles
started off strong winning the first set 25-22. The Eagles starting
losing their momentum and didn’t play to their best of abilities
resulting in the Rustlers winning the 2nd set 25-19. The match
continued with the Rustlers taking the 3rd set 25-22 and the Eagles
pulling out the win in the 4th set, 25-21. The game went to a 5th set
again resulting in the Rustlers defeating the Eagles15-11. Player of
the Game was awarded to 3rd year libero Anita Birkland for her amazing
defensive play.
The King’s Eagles play Grande Prairie next weekend as they fight for a top 6 spot in the ACAC standings.
01.30.12 - Eagles Fall to Cougars
This
week the King’s Eagles met Mount Royal in 2 very exciting games,
however they did not end up in wins. King's came out strong on home
court on Friday in the first set winning 25-22, but lost their fire
losing the next two sets 22-25 and again 22-25. The fourth set was a
different story, where the Eagles came back and won 25-23. Entering the
fifth set, the girls were strong but couldn’t finish the game and lost
15-9. Player of the Game went to Captain and power hitter, Kaila
Whitton, who recorded the most kills for the Eagles.
On
Saturday, the Eagles ventured to Calgary and met in Mount Royal’s main
gym, where the Cougars picked up their game and came out with another
win. The Eagles played hard and kept up, but couldn’t finish out the
first two sets, losing 21-25, 19-25. In the third set, the girls fought
hard and didn’t let up, busting out a win 25-23. The fourth set ended
dishearteningly when the Cougars hard serve disrupted the Eagles ending
the game 25-10. Third year middle Alyssa Downing’s impressive blocking
throughout gave her Player of the Game honors.
01.16.12 - Eagles Sweep Concordia
This past weekend the King’s Eagles took on the Concordia Thunder,
coming home with two more wins. Friday night the game took place at
Concordia where Concordia took the first set winning 25-22. The Eagles
then went on to win the next three sets 25-20, 25-29, and 25-18. Middle
blocker, Alyssa Downing, was awarded Player of the Game, who proved to
be a key contributor with her quick middle attacks. After this match,
the Eagles felt they didn’t bring all that they could and that for
Saturday’s game they would bring a lot more intensity and fire to get
ready for a great game next weekend against Mount Royal.
On
Saturday, in King’s home gym, the Eagles came out with more
determination and was ready to defeat the Thunder. Although the Eagles
lost the first set 26-24, they came back sweeping the rest of the match
winning 25-20, 25-20, and a domination of 25-12. Tashelle Vandershee
was awarded Player of the Match with her amazing defense. Her calmness
on the court proved to be a key factor in the win. Going into the game,
head coach Grace Scott, challenged for every point that the Thunder
got, the Eagles would get 2. Doing exactly this, the Eagles showed to
be disciplined and a real dominant team in this league. Eagles play
again next weekend taking on Mount Royal.
01.16.12 - Eagles come up short against Grant MacEwan
This
past weekend the King’s Eagles played the Grant MacEwan Griffins.
Although the Eagles lost both nights they showed tremendous
determination and fight as they came back many times to tie up the sets
making it a great game to watch. After losing the first set 18-25 on
Friday night, the Eagles picked it up and won the second 25- 23. The
Griffins took the lead by winning the third set 25-21, but the Eagles
were not finished yet, battling back to win the fourth set 25-15. With
this win, the Eagles proved that the match was far from over as they
went on to fight it out in the fifth set, but unfortunately came up
short, losing 13-15. Left side hitter Chelsea Markowski was awarded
Player of the Game for Friday night, and proved to be a key contributor
with her smart play at the net and her passing of 2.36 on serve
receive.
On Saturday the Eagles came out with a
new fire and determination, but just could not keep up with the
Griffins. The Eagles let themselves fall behind multiple times and
although the scores were fairly close, the Eagles never really
controlled the match losing 0-3 (22- 25, 20-25, 22-25). In her first
ACAC debut #8 Jolea Siemens was awarded our team eagle by showing a
positive attitude throughout the games and getting a kill on the first
ball she was set. Alyssa Downing, third year middle was awarded Player
of the Game due to her ability to put away almost every ball given to
her. Alyssa demonstrated her natural talent and set the tone for the
rest of the matches in the season.
01.09.12 - Eagles Take Silver in Quebec Tourny
The Eagles Volleyball teams made the trek down to Quebec City from
January 2-9th for a tournament at Cegep Limoilou College. The first day
was spent touring Old Quebec. The team ventured into the different
shops, rode the tramway called the Funiculaire, and a few even
tobogganed down an ice hill. The next two days were the first days of
training since the fall semester, and the Eagles worked hard at morning
practice and then again in the evenings to scrimmage two different teams
from Quebec. The first evening’s scrimmage was against Trois-Riviere
and then on the second night, the volleyball team played against
Outanuois. During the day, between the second day’s morning practice
and evening scrimmage, both the Eagles women’s and men’s teams ventured
to Mount Maurence Falls.
The tournament began on January 6th and went on until the 8th. The
women’s first match was against the University of Quebec a’ Chicoutimi.
After coming in midway through the first set, 1st year setter, Lauren
Jensen, took the Eagles on a run, bringing the team back from an 18-10
deficit. Winning the first set 26-24, the Eagles demonstrated their
determination and confidence to finish strong with 25-16 second set win,
and 25-23 third set.
For the second match, the Eagles were up against the 6th ranked team
in the nation, FX Garneau. The girls came out strong to begin the game,
taking off with a solid lead, but fell short at the end, losing the
first set with a score of 25-22. The next set did not begin as strong,
however, the Eagles battled throughout the second set, losing 25-18.
The team seemed to lose a bit of steam, and the Garneau girls continued
to play aggressively giving them the final set with a score of 25-14.
On Saturday afternoon, the women’s first game was against St. Thomas from New Brunswick. The Eagles showed their depth, as each player on the team got their opportunity on the court and stepped up their game to win the game in four sets. The scores for each set were 25-14, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18.
The Eagles then faced the first team they scrimmaged against, Trois Rivieres. This game was to decide between second and third in the pool, and only the top two teams of each pool would advance. The girls came into the game with knowledge of how this Quebec team played, and how strong their defense was, and was ready to finish second in their pool to advance to the semi finals. Fourth year captain, Kaila Whitton, had the game of her life, and was an immense offensive threat to the opponent, being virtually unstoppable. The Eagles fought long and hard, through a five set match to win and continue on to the semis. The scores were 25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 17-25, 15-7.
On Sunday afternoon, the Eagles proved to be a dominant force in the tournament, coming away with the semi final in three straight sets against UQAM. The opposing team battled hard, but the Eagles fought back, and played consistently throughout the match to win with scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 27-25. First years Lauren Jensen and Mallory Turner, both showed their intensity and maturity to the court to help win the semi final match.
After having an amazing weekend thus far, the team made the decision
to give, 4th year captain, Kaila Whitton, a chance to rest her injuries
for the final against FX Garneau. They knew how much she would be
needed in their upcoming league games against Grant Macewan and wanted
her to be able to play at her best. Tashelle Vanderschee stepped up to
the plate, and took the position with confidence, again proving the
depth of the Eagles volleyball team. Tashelle’s defensive skills shined,
and her smart offensive play kept the Garneau team on their toes. The
first set of the match was one to watch, as both teams battled back and
forth all the way until the end, however, once again the Eagles missed
it by that much, losing the first set, 26-24. The next two sets were
not quite as close, but the girls showed their heart and passion, never
giving up and pushing until the end. The scores of the second and third
set were 25-19 and 25-15. The Eagles finished second overall,
demonstrating their capabilities to compete with teams from different
provinces.
Both Kaila Whitton, and 2nd year setter, Porcha Diggs, were awarded with all-star awards for their incredible play throughout the tournament. This week in Quebec was the perfect start to the semester, getting the Eagles geared up for their first match against MacEwan this upcoming weekend.
12.1.11 - Eagles Sweep SAIT
This past weekend the King's Eagles took on the SAIT Trojans, playing one match in Calgary and one match in Edmonton. The Eagles showed how much they have improved this season by winning on Friday night at SAIT in three straight sets (25-16, 25-19, 32-30). The Eagles were able to minimize their errors and finally come together as a team. Second year setter, Porcha Diggs, played a phenomenal game on Friday night. She had 1 kill, 8 digs and 1 service ace. She ran the offense tremendously well, and deserved the Player of the Game award she received that night. The SAIT Trojans were left helpless against the Eagles offense as the Eagles capitalized on SAIT's errors.
On Saturday night the Eagles won in five sets (25-16, 26-28, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13). It was an extremely close game and the Eagles showed their determination for the win. Even after being down 13-11 in the fifth set they managed to win the game 15-13. SAIT’s main attacker challenged King’s defense at the beginning of the match, but by the end the Eagles' middles shut her down with ease. Lauren Jensen, first year right side, played an amazing game, and left the SAIT defense in confusion with her multitude of shots. She had 6 kills, 7 digs and 3 service aces. She won a well-deserved Player of the Game award and showed her true potential and ability to put the ball away. This sweep leaves the Eagles with a sixth place standing to finish the first semester of play.
11.22.11 - Eagles Swept by Queens
This past weekend the King’s Eagles took on the Red Deer Queens, in Red
Deer. Although the Eagles lost both matches it was certainly a great
learning experience for the team. On Friday night, the Eagles fought
back from huge deficits in each set, only to have the game slip away in
the final few points of each set. Despite the disappointment, the
Eagles managed to stay positive and play with tremendous confidence.
Final scores were: 17-25, 22-25 and 21-25. Left Side hitter and
Captain, Kaila Whitton received Player of the Game with 12 kills, 7 digs
and 1 stuff block.
On Saturday, the Eagles came out on fire controlling the
majority of the first set with a 21-18 lead, only to allow the Queens
to score seven straight points at the end of the game to capture the win
25-21. The second set was once again a hard fought battle with the
scores remaining close until the final points of the game. Clearly
lacking the discipline to finish close games is something the Eagles
know they have to work on in order to remain competitive. Second year
setter, Porcha Diggs was awarded Player of the Game with 2 kills, 4 digs
and 2 stuff blocks. First year Right Side, Mallory Turner, also had
one of her best games this season with 7 kills (45% kill efficiency),
demonstrating her natural talent and ability to put the ball away.
Overall, it was a tough lesson for the Eagles, but to their credit they
found a way to continue to work hard and show a determination to win
regardless of the score.
The Eagles play their last games of the semester on December 2nd and 3rd against SAIT!
11.7.11 - Eagles SWEEP Keyano
On Friday night the Eagles came out focused and excited to be playing in
their home gym against the Keyano Huskies. Winning the first set
25-22, the Eagles were determined to come out even stronger for the
remainder of the match. Showing their determination in the next two
sets, the Eagles soared to a 3-0 victory, winning the final two sets
25-13, 25-14. The Eagles' offence this weekend was more consistent with
the middles finding more ways to score than ever and increasing their
hitting percentage. Kaila Whitton contributed offensively with 11
kills, as did Player of the Game, Chelsea Markowski, who also had 11
kills, 2 serving aces and 2 blocks.
The second game of the weekend, Saturday afternoon, was
also a win for the Eagles; but was definitely more of a struggle. After
winning the first set 25-15, Keyano’s defence picked up the pace and
kept them in the game for the next two sets as they defeated the Eagles
25-23 in the second set and fought hard in the third set only to lose
20-25. Finally, the Eagles decided to get back in the game and finish
the match with a decisive fourth set win of 25-16. Kaila Whitton led
the team with 13 kills, and Player of the Game honors was given to
Porcha Diggs for her defensive play with 13 digs, as well as scoring 3
kills and 4 serving aces!
It was a good weekend for the Eagles as they managed to
win their first sweep of the season! The Eagles have an upcoming
weekend off but continue league play at Red Deer on November 18 and 19.
11.01.11 - Eagles Split Once Again
On Friday night the Eagles came out with fire and intensity for their
Home Opener against the Nait Ooks. Losing the first set by just two
points, the team came out strong for the next three, taking the game in
four sets. The Eagles had a strong offensive game with both Kaila
Whitton and Marissa Gehlert racking up the kills and keeping the Ooks on
defense for the majority of the game. Kaila Whitton was awarded Player
of the Game with an astounding 23 kills, 11 digs and 3 stuff blocks.
The final scores of the game were 23-25, 25-20, 27-25, and 25-22.
The next night did not go as smoothly. The team that had shown up the night before was not the same team that was on the court on Saturday night. The Eagles did not seem to be able to string anything together, and error after error was made. The game went in three, and the scores were 14-25, 15-25, and 18-25. Player of the Game was given to Porcha Diggs for her defensive play, with13 digs and 2 stuff blocks. It was a tough loss for the Eagles, however, the team is determined to learn from the weekend, and is ready to come out strong against Keyano next weekend at home on Friday (6 pm) and Saturday (1 pm).
10.24.11 - Open Regular Season With a Split Versus Kodiaks
Women’s Volleyball went one and one against the Lethbridge College Kodiaks this weekend. Friday the Eagles came out with enthusiasm, hoping to make a good start to the season. It was a hard fought battle, with 4 games seeing the match within 2 points. Many unforced errors led to a loss in the fifth and final set. Scores were 14-25, 30-28, 24-26, 25-23, and 13-15. Outstanding play by setter Porcha Diggs won her Player of the Game honors. Kaila Whitton, fired up about the first game of the season, led the team with an astounding 17 kills.
Saturday afternoon the Eagles came out hard beating the Kodiaks in 3 straight. There seemed to be a different atmosphere and focus on the court that wasn’t present the previous day. Left side players:Chelsea Markowski (7 kills) and Kaila Whitton (11 kills) led the team offensively. Scores were 25-22, 25-21 with Markowski scoring a BIG tee line kill to win the third set 28-26. Kaila Whitton was awarded Player of the Game. This weekend showed that when the Women’s Eagles Volleyball team show up, they are a tough team to beat.
Next match is against the NAIT Ooks on Friday, October 28th for their Home Opener, and Saturday, October 29th at NAIT – both games are at 6 pm.
10.11.11 - Eagles Wrap Up Pre-Season Play at Grant MacEwan Tournament
The King’s University College Eagles women’s volleyball
team competed in the Grant MacEwan Tournament this Thanksgiving weekend
against five different teams, coming away with two wins and three
loses. The Eagles started out strong with a win against Grande Prairie
Friday afternoon in three straight sets. Friday evening the Eagles
played against the Grant MacEwan Alumni team, taking the Alumni to 4
sets, however coming up short against the experienced team and losing
the first, third, and fourth set of the match.
Saturday morning the Eagles played against the Red Deer
Queens, defeating them in the first set 25-12, however losing the next
set with a very close score of 24-26. The next two sets the Queens
defeated the Eagles to win the match in 4 sets. The last game that the
Eagles played on Saturday was against the Briercrest Clippers, and the
Eagles managed to defeat the Clippers in three straight sets, putting
them in a play-off match against Lakeland College. This game went to
three sets, and unfortunately the Eagles were defeated to finish up the
weekend.
The team was able to grow this past weekend and focus on
control and communication. With the league beginning in two weeks, the
Eagles have learned a lot about their competition and what it will take
to become one of the top teams in Alberta this 2011/2012 season. The
first league game for the women and men's volleyball teams is October 21
and 22 in Lethbridge. Wish the teams luck, Go Eagles!
10.04.11 - Eagles Finish 2nd at Red Deer Tournament
This past weekend the Eagles' women’s volleyball team made a name for
themselves at the Red Deer College tournament, proving that they will be
a tough competitor this season. The women finished second in the
tournament losing the final to a tough Red Deer Alumni team stacked with
numerous past ACAC All-Conference players.
The Eagles started the tournament off strong gaining
momentum by winning their first three matches two sets straight.
Although they often struggled with their confidence in the first set of
each match, they managed to close the second set fairly easily. Scores
were: 25-23, 25-10 over Olds College; 25-15, 25-17 over College of the
Rockies; and 25-20, 25-7 over Keyano.
On Saturday afternoon the Eagles faced Red Deer Alumni,
the same team they would later face in the final; the Eagles
unfortunately did not show up with their best game in this match and
lost in two sets 22-25 and 13-25. The Eagles then met Grande Prairie in
the cross over match and found redemption by beating the Wolves 2-1
(15-25, 25-19 & 15-11). Their defense and blocking carried them
through the match ending the day on a high.
This energy continued into Sunday’s semi-final against the second Red Deer Alumni team beating them two straight (25-18, 25-22), advancing the Eagles to the final. The gold medal match was an extremely exciting game with the RDC Alumni taking the first set 25-23 as the Eagles fought hard to dig up their attacks. Although the Eagles defense was strong, they needed to pick up their consistency on offense. In the second set King’s started moving the alumni around, testing their defense and being more deceptive in their attacks. This proved to be successful when the Eagles took the second set 25-21. In the third set the Eagles started strong, serving tough and offensively challenging the Queens Alumni. They battled hard and at 14-12 for the Eagles, the Queens came back with one final push earning four straight points and taking the game 16-14.
Although it was a disappointing loss, the Eagles were proud of their weekend and count it as a success. Knowing there are still lots of areas for improvement, the Eagles are confident that the addition of their new recruits with the experience of their veterans will serve to make this a very promising and exciting year!
The Eagles next competition is a tournament at Grant MacEwan University October 7-9.
09.26.11 - Eagles Soar at Concordia Tournament
The Women’s Volleyball team’s first exhibition game of the season was against fellow Edmontonians, the Nait Ooks on Friday the 23rd. The Eagles began each set with a bang, taking an early lead in each game; however, in the end they fell short, losing three straight, 23-25, 27-29, 21-25. The team played well overall, and with some more experience will most definitely see improvements the next time they meet the Ooks.
On Saturday, September 24th, the Eagles played two games, the first being against the Fort McMurray Keyano Huskies. Throughout the game, the Eagles struggled with finding that consistency, and intensity that would keep them on top. The team had a bit of a rocky start, however finished the match well, taking it in three, 25-21, 25-18, 25-19. The second game was against our neighbors, the Concordia Thunder. The team finished with a win, however gave the second set up to the Thunder team. The scores were 25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 25-16. By the end of the weekend, the Eagles had shown that they could bring fire and intensity to the game, however will continue to work on keeping it consistently throughout.
Overall the weekend was a promising start to the season! All seven first years, and the seven veterans showed exciting potential in how they could work together as a team. Next weekend the team heads to Red Deer for another preseason tournament with great anticipation of what is to come.