Queens check The Kings to claim ACAC bronze

CAMROSE, Alta. - In a much tougher battle than the score reflected, the RDP Queens overtook The King's Eagles, 3-0 (29-27, 25-23, 25-21), securing bronze at the ACAC Women's Volleyball Championship, Saturday evening at Augustana Gym.

The win gets the Queens back on the podium, earning a bronze medal, after missing out on hardware just one year prior. Meanwhile, the Eagles close out the season with a hard-fought fourth-place conference finish.

"Bronze medal games are really difficult," said Queens head coach Talbot Walton when speaking after the match. "We knew Kings would be a high-energy team and we had to match that. I felt we did a really good job at staying composted and I'm really happy for our team."

Earning a tournament all-star recognition, Lauren Junck was at her best with 16 kills, four digs and four aces, while defensive specialist Francesca Sandini kept the ball off the floor with 15 digs and added three assists. Across the net, setter Leah Aukema had 29 assists as middle blocker, Ashley Lockwood laid claim to a tournament all-star award.

As expected from the second seeds in their respective divisions, both teams came about swinging, exchanging points, one after another. However, it was Junck proving her worth deep in the set as her kill tied the game at 27 before her next serve gave the Queens the important opening set, 29-27.

With the set scores not reflecting the true competitiveness of the match, the Queens managed to force a handful of more errors on the Eagles side to call the set and match, 25-21, rushing the court.

"I'm really happy with our season," added Walton. "We came a long way and some people got big promotions on our roster. It was exciting to see them develop over the season and we will have a majority of them coming back next season."

Both teams end their 2024-25 season campaigns and will take the court again in the fall for more ACAC Women's Volleyball action.