The Keyano Huskies men’s volleyball team continue to tear up the ACAC.
The Huskies held their home-opening doubleheader this past weekend – topping the Concordia Thunder on Friday in four sets (3-1) – while coming up with a straight-set win (3-0) on Saturday.
The wins improve Keyano to 4-0 to start the year.
Head Coach Keegan Kuhr tells Mix News while they only lost a set between both matches – Concordia put up a good fight.
“I know the coach really well. He’s improved program and roster and it’s a good team in my opinion. It’s a team that’s going to surprise some opponents in the next couple weeks so, I’m happy we were able to steal two from them this early in the season.”
As a result of the weekend, the Huskies sit 2nd in the ACAC North Division, trailing only NAIT.
Nationally, the Huskies rank 6th according to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.
Kuhr notes his team showed a lot of grit and character in a hostile environment.
“It adds to our growth and maturity that we don’t necessarily have because we are a young team. Lots of skill but until you’re in those moments, it’s important to really step up and I thought our guys did a really good job of doing that to get those two victories.”
Keyano hits the road this weekend – with a doubleheader on tap with the Augustana Vikings.
Women’s Volleyball Squad Notch First Wins On The Season
Photo courtesy: Kira Sutcliffe
A pair of wins for the Keyano Huskies women’s volleyball team marked a special milestone for their new head coach.
The Huskies reeled off a pair of wins in their home-opening doubleheader against the Concordia Thunder, with a straight-set win on Friday – followed by Saturday’s win in four sets.
The wins were the very first of Head Coach Kira Sutcliffe’s career.
She tells Mix News this is just the start of the program turning a corner.
“I feel like in the past, we’ve never been able to get over those early wins and we’ve always just had an ‘okay’ program but a lot of the girls after the second game were talking about how happy they are to actually have a competitive team.”
Photo courtesy: Huskies Athletics
The wins place Keyano at 2-2 for the campaign and places them 3rd in the ACAC North Division.
In addition, first-year blocker and Fort McMurray native Amber Francis made her presence known over the weekend – being honoured as the Huskies’ Athlete of the Week.
Sutcliffe says Francis and the rest of the girls truly persevered this weekend.
“Amber had 8-service aces in the first match so, I thought that was incredible. They definitely played as a team on Friday. Taking a team out in straight sets after having lost the first two games is definitely a good show of character and I think that will be really good for them.”
The Huskies hit the road to face Augustana for a doubleheader this weekend.
The game can be streamed on the ACAC’s website.