The Rustlers avenge last year’s championship finals loss, defeating the Queens in three straight
Red Deer, February 24, 2023 – In a rematch of last year's championship finals, the Rustlers avenged last year's championship loss with a straight-sets victory over the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens.
These two teams faced off in last year's championship finals where the Queens defeated the Rustlers in four sets and would later win bronze at nationals.
More recently, the Rustlers defeated the Queens back in November in straight sets.
It sure felt like a championship final match in the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre with the Rustlers and Queens fanbase filling the stands and making their presence known with their artificial noisemakers.
It was a tight first 18 points as both teams were deadlocked at nine but Lakeland College jumped out to a 14-10 lead which led to a Queens timeout. The Rustlers would continue to have a four-point lead as they entered the Polytechnic's final timeout of the set. Lakeland College really had the early answers for the Queens offense. The Queens would crawl back and cut the Rustlers lead into half which led to a timeout called by the school out of Lloydminster. With a kill out of the middle from Kaylie Lueck (Bachelor of Education), the Rustlers would take the first set 25-22. This was Lueck's fourth kill in the match and her team's 17th total kill in the set.
With the hometown crowd on their side, the Queens took some momentum away from the Rustlers as they started the second set. But it still remained a very tight match with both fanbases competing with one another on who is going to be the loudest fans in Red Deer. The Rustlers would slowly pull away from the Queens and take a 16-10 lead into an RDP timeout. The number one ranked team in the ACAC just had so many weapons at their disposal that they were just winning the game with their offense. Out of the timeout, the Queens would finally stop the Rustlers but not before Lakeland scored two more points. The Rustlers ended up taking the second set 25-16 after a kill error from the Queens. The Polytechnic had just five kills in this set.
With a chance at a gold medal on the line, the Queens were forced to come out with their best set yet if they wanted any chance at defending their title from last year. It was a neck-and-neck set, to begin with, but nearing the final moments of the game, the Rustlers pulled away 20-17 which is where the Polytechnic called a timeout to find some way to solve this explosive offensive team. The brief break for the host team led to a 5-3 run which put them within one point of Lakeland. With a kill from outside-hitter Avery Bates, the Rustlers booked their ticket to the finals and the national championships after defeating the Queens 25-22 in the third set.
The players of the matches went to Queens libero Frankie Sandini and Rustlers setter Jana Laing. Sandini stood out from the rest with her 20 digs and Laing had an outstanding game finishing with 37 assists.
Laing explained it sure feels nice to get some revenge against the team that knocked them out of national contention last year and took away their gold medal. She added it is going to feel nice to be playing in a championship final surrounded by her friends.
The gold medal match is at 6 pm tomorrow with the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings waiting for them as they defeated the Lethbridge College Kodiaks earlier today. It will be a South Division rivalry in the bronze medal match with the Kodiaks and Queens facing off for the third time this season.