Broncos take hard-fought win over Lakeland

The Olds College Broncos earned a weekend split on home court, defeating the Lakeland College Rustlers 3-1 before an energetic crowd at the Ralph Klein Centre on Saturday.

Phillip Sutherland had a big night for Olds College (2-4) with nine kills and five blocks to earn Player of the Game honours, while Reed Grusing recorded a game-high 13 kills, Aidyn Phillips added 11 kills and four digs, and Matheus Franca posted seven kills and 12 digs.

For Lakeland (3-5), Gabriel Brinchmann Bjorkas turned in 10 kills and five digs, while Brock Tomyn added eight kills and 10 digs; Dax Naderi (12 assists) was the Player of the Game for the Rustlers.

The first set was a dynamic encounter with each side having a counter for what the other was doing, with Lakeland eventually coming through late for a hard-fought 25-23 win.

However, the second set was an entirely different story that saw the Broncos find another gear en route to a 25-12 win to even the match at a set apiece.

In the third, Lakeland got an early advantage, but the Broncos responded after a timeout to even the set at 19-19, then needing an extra point to take the 26-24 win to go up two sets to one. The Broncos largely maintained control from there, withstanding a late Rustlers rally to cap off the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.

Both teams will have next week off before resuming ACAC competition, with the Broncos travelling north to face the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings on Nov. 18, while the Rustlers will host the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings on Nov. 19.