Lions over Queens, Domoney strong defensively once again

Brent Forster – RDC

Red Deer, AB – The Red Deer College Queens had another strong game from Kaylee Domoney but the veteran Ambrose University Lions took the match (25-19, 25-21 and 25-18) at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.

After the opening set was even 3-3, the Lions started to pull ahead with some service pressure, recording three service aces in the set. Kaylee Domoney, a third-year libero from Red Deer, made some nice passes, including a one arm dig. The Lions' blockers tried to shut down Katrina Dawe and Jade Van Dyke on the Queens' left side but Van Dyke, a Bachelor of Science Nursing student, recorded a cross-court kill to bring her team within six (15-21). The Lions maintained their six point margin and finalized a 25-19 decision.

Jade Van Dyke (13) Colby Brochu Photography

In the second, an ace from Britt Davis provided the Queens an early 4-3 edge. Then with effective defence and net play, the Lions jumped ahead by five. The RDC Queens chipped away and pulled within one point (18-19) from a Katrina Dawe kill on the left side. In a back-and-forth finish, the Lions capped it off 25-21.

Katrina Dawe (8) Colby Brochu Photography

Ambrose University vaulted out to a 12-2 lead in the third set, but RDC clawed back to reduce that margin to five (10-15) with solid blocking on the right. The Queens tried to close the gap with an ace from Megan Steenbergen and kill from Parres Holliday but the Lions took the set 25-18, and the match.  

Colby Brochu Photography

Chris Wandler, Queens Head Coach, liked the work from his middles but will look for more production from the outside in tomorrow's rematch. "At points, I thought that we did alright. Our middle blockers were really good tonight," he says. "Natalie found them in the appropriate spots. Our outside hitters need to be better. We weren't efficient enough."

Five-foot-ten middle Alexandria Greenshields totaled 5 kills, 1 dig and 1 block assist for RDC.

The Queens were close in many of the sets but Wandler would like to see more perseverance. "We have to keep in it longer. We took ourselves out way too early. We were only three points behind at 18-21 and then we were undisciplined, or didn't remember our jobs," he says. "It is a bunch of young mistakes. At times, you need to get it handed to you by a better team to realize that you need to use that as an opportunity to stick with it, and we didn't do that."

Kaylee Domoney was selected as the Queens Player-of-the-Game, contributing 16 digs and 1 assist. Ashleigh Wolensky received the award for the Lions, accumulating 10 kills, 6 block assists, 5 digs and 1 assist.

"We almost rely too much on Kaylee sometimes but it is kind of the way it is right now unless someone steps up to pass and defend a little bit more," says Wandler. "She definitely deserved player-of-the-game."

Jade Van Dyke stacked up 6 kills, 9 digs, 1 ace and 1 block assist. Setter Natalie Bloemen finished with 25 assists, 9 digs, 3 block assists, 1 kill and 1 stuff block.

The RDC Queens (5-6) will play the Lions (7-2) in Calgary on Saturday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m.