Men's Volleyball Huskies sweep Wolves on road, prep for big contests at home

The first challenge of the season for the Keyano Huskies Men’s Volleyball team, a long road trip and formidable opponent, ended with a weekend sweep for the visiting Huskies as they jumped out to a 2-0 start on the season.  

Friday, the Huskies won a four-set decision 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-16) followed by a similar result in four sets 3-1 (17-25, 27-25, 25-15, 25-20) Saturday against the Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves in Grande Prairie, Alta.   

“The first two sets of both days didn’t go our way,” Head Coach Keegan Kuhr said. “We started pretty slow. [It’s] definitely something we want to address and we have talked about it. To bounce back and to get the last three sets of the Friday and Saturday was awesome.  
 
“That Saturday game, that set two where I thought we were down and out. For our guys to come together and find a way to get that set was huge. That stole the momentum for the rest of that weekend.”  
 
Arthur Alves Genes Silveira and Rafael Parada Lima led the offensive showcase Friday, recording 16 and 12 kills each, respectively. Kai Rosnau recorded 31 assists while Lima and captain Kaylen Desmarais-Joseph tied for the team lead with 10 digs each.  
 
The opening weekend was also showcase of what’s to come for the Huskies after a half-decade where their starting roster was generally known in advance. Tim Ebbs and rookie Logan Boucher saw action in all four sets as starters.  
 
Returning student-athletes Seth Gill, Gage Weinrauch, Jaron Peet, and Mike Yole, student-athletes who had dressed in previous years also saw action.  
 
“We had a bunch of new guys out there, regardless of our returners,” Kuhr added. “We’re slowly starting to figure it out.  
 
“We had guys out there in different spots this weekend. Just focusing more on some of our principles, block [defence] a little bit better, focus with our serving and our placement. I think we should be a little bit better this weekend.”  

Saturday’s win, tight through the first two sets, saw the Huskies pull away in sets three and four. Silveira stood tall with 18 kills while Ebbs had 14 on his accord while Lima adding 10. Rosnau handled setting duties for the second-straight day, racking up 39 assists. Silveira added a team-leading 11digs in the contest as well. The rookie Boucher had four blocks to lead the Huskies in Saturday’s win.  

The Huskies will now return home for back-to-back home weekends, starting with hosting the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings and Olds College Broncos for matches this weekend at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre.  

First serve times are at 5:00pm Friday and 1:00pm Saturday.