'End of an era' as Men's Volleyball Huskies salute seniors with weekend sweep of Vikings
If you had told Keyano Huskies Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Keegan Kuhr that the only sets his team would drop on the home court this regular season would come in October, he may have doubted the savviest of volleyball fans.
However, that’s exactly what the Huskies accomplished with a weekend sweep of the University of Alberta – Augustana Vikings Friday and Saturday, collecting a 3-0-win (25-18, 25-18, 25-21) Friday and a 3-0-win (25-21, 25-14, 25-16) Saturday to complete a 9-0 home record.
To finish off our home weekend like this, clinched the North on Friday and to honour our seniors today, it’s a special moment. [It’s the end of an era]. These guys truly put us on the map and the craziest thing is they all believed in me; that’s all I can ask for.
The never-quit attitude of the Huskies was on full display as they rotated throughout their lineup to both handle business and honour their six graduating players.
Friday, it was Rafael Parada leading the way with 13 kills, while João Cunha had eight and Brody Kopec added six kills to his season totals. Less than 24 hours later, both Parada and Kopec graciously took steps back as the team’s graduating core stepped onto the home court one last time.
Down in Saturday’s opening set, the Huskies rallied to turn the game in their favour.
The most notable play came from a reactionary kick from Mike Yole that kept the rally alive with his older brother Preston sending it over to the Vikings’ side before Athus Silva closed off the rally at the net seconds later.
From the games to their training time in between, Kuhr was impressed by the progression of his squad.
“Every week, I’m like, ‘that was our best practice’,” he said. “On Thursday, we practiced phenomenal. To still be getting to another level with two weeks left is incredible. I’m really happy with what everyone’s putting in; all the sacrifices, everything.
“I’m happy with the way we’re going; we’re trending up. We’ve just got to keep fine tuning things and see what we can do with two games left.”
The Huskies will conclude the 2024-25 ACAC Regular Season with a trip to Edmonton to take on The King’s University Eagles Friday and Saturday. First serves are scheduled for 6:00pm and 1:00pm on both days with the Women’s game taking place first.
Huskies Seniors end home schedule strong
Saturday, Cameron Calhoun totaled nine kills in the final home game of an epic CCAA career that took him from the Georgian Grizzlies in the OCAA to the Holland Hurricanes in the ACAA to the Huskies.
Silva repeated Friday’s defensive effort with another seven-block game. Anderson King added 22 digs to a career total that places him now in the top four all-time in the program’s history.
The older Yole, who got to start with his brother one last time at home, added eight kills over the weekend to a stat line that included four digs and three aces.
Nikola Sreckovic handled setting duties in his final home game, surpassing 1,900 assists for his ACAC career, a feat only accomplished by fewer than 10 other student-athletes since they were first recorded.
Last but not least was Cunha finishing with 13 kills to go along with six aces from the weekend as he neared 900 kills for his career with the Huskies.