It doesn’t happen to the Briercrest College Clippers volleyball teams very often these days, but this past weekend turned into one of those times.
Both the men’s and women’s teams went winless in their final Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference games of the first semester on Saturday and Sunday, dropping matches to the Lethbridge Kodiaks in Lethbridge
The Clippers men found themselves in a host of close games, but couldn’t pull off the win on Friday night against Lethbridge, who would go on to a 25-23, 26-24, 18-25, 25-21 victory.
Karym Coleman continued his solid season with 19 kills, and if he’d had a bit more luck given his number of attempts -- no less than 48 -- the end result could have been much different.
Setter Jeremy Martens had a good game defensively in addition to playing set-up man, recording 10 digs and 41 assists on the night. Davis Borden added 10 digs.
Nolan Moes was Lethbridge’s top offensive producer with 15 kills.
Saturday’s rematch was more of the same, as Lethbridge won the first two games 25-19 and 25-17 before the Clippers got one back with a 25-20 win, only to see the Kodiaks finish things off in game four 25-17.
Coleman had 23 kills on 46 attempts to lead the Clippers offence, while Martens and Wachtel have five digs apiece.
Briercrest is now 5-5 on the season and sit in fourth place in the ACAC South Division.
The Clippers womens team endured a heartbreaker in the first of their two games in Lethbridge, falling 25-15, 23-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-11 to the Kodiaks on Friday night.
Julia Beer led the Briercrest offence with 20 kills, while Faith Buhler had 13 kills and was also solid defensively with 11 digs. Moose Jaw product Summer Okerstrom picked up two kills and an ace.
Briercrest didn’t have any luck at all in their rematch Saturday, falling 25-11, 25-22, 25-21.
Okerstrom had one of her best games as a Clipper, putting down five kills, recording a service ace and picking up three digs. That effort was enough for her to take home the game star for Briercrest.
Beer had eight kills and five digs, Buhler six kills and four digs.
Briercrest is now 4-6 on the season, good enough for fifth place in the South Division.
The ACAC now enters their first-semester break, with games in all sports resuming in the new year.
