RDC Queens sweep Lethbridge College Kodiaks, win 11 in a row

It would be an understatement to say that the Red Deer College Queens Volleyball team have been on a roll. This past week, the RDC Queens moved up 1 spot to 7th in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rankings. Winners of their past 10 matches in a row, the RDC Queens faced the Lethbridge College Kodiaks Friday evening at Red Deer College. As the match progressed, the Queens picked up their game and swept the Kodiaks in 3 sets.

The opening set was back-and-forth and both sides found themselves tied 22-22. The RDC Queens went on a 3-0 run to cap off the set 25-22. McKenna Barthel led the Queens with 3 kills. As a team, the RDC Queens had 4 service aces. Corissa Mildenberger led the Kodiaks with 4 kills.

The 2nd set was close in the early going (6-6). The Queens outscored the Kodiaks 19-7 to take the 2nd set 25-13. Miranda Dawe led the Queens with a 2 set total of 7 kills. The Grande Prairie native added 5 digs. As a team, the RDC Queens accumulated 8 service aces. Mildenberger had 6 total kills for the Kodiaks.

As the match went on, the Queens played better and started to take over. RDC opened the 3rd set 5-1 and built on their lead. The Queens won the 3rd set 25-8 and took the match in straight sets. With the win the RDC Queens (16-3) improve to 32 points in the standings and sit in 2nd spot in the ACAC Women's Volleyball South Division. Mildenberger finished with 8 kills for Lethbridge College.

Miranda Dawe was named the RDC Queens player-of-the-game. The Kinesiology and Sport Studies student finished with 13 kills, 2 service aces, 9 digs and 1 stuff block.

Queens Head Coach Chris Wandler was pleased with the serving and ability to pull out a win, even though the play in the 1st set wasn't as sharp.

"We served the ball with a purpose tonight. We started to figure out their serving tempo and we corrected depths," said Wandler. "The 1st set got a little scrambly. We took some time off, got back into it and made it more difficult than it needed to be."

As a team, the RDC Queens finished with 10 service aces.

Wandler thought the Queens improved as the match progressed.

"Lethbridge is battling for a playoff spot. We knew that they would want to come out strong and we would have to match that," said Wandler. "We got our game together and played a lot better in the 2nd and 3rd set."

Katrina Dawe continues to show improvement on the court.

"The 1st year is usually a little bit of a roller coaster. Katrina has found her niche, what she's good at which helps out with confidence," said Wandler. "She's getting the support around her and players are showing trust in her. She has ice in her veins and serves the ball well. She will be a big part of the team moving forward."

It is already determined that the Briercrest College Clippers, RDC Queens and SAIT Trojans will be heading to the playoffs from the ACAC Women's Volleyball South Division. Ambrose University, Lethbridge College and Olds College are vying for the 4th spot. 

In a weekend rematch, the Queens host the Kodiaks Saturday at 1:00 p.m.