CAMROSE, Alta. - Not willing to give the University of Alberta - Augustana Viking their first win, the Lakeland Rustlers defeated the Vikings 3-2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-19, 26-24, 15-10), Friday night at Augustana Gym.

The win ties the Rusters with the Keyano Huskies for first place in the north, while the Vikings will continue the search for their first win on the season with a 0-10 record.

The Rustlers found success thanks to Gabriel Brinchmann Bjorkas who had 11 kills on the night, while Keifer Sinclair helped with 34 assists.

Across the net, Devon Nazarchuk had 17 kills to lead both teams and Calder Thompson led the court with 40 assists.

Starting out with a fire lit under them in their last game of the 2023 calendar year, it looked promising for the Vikings to gather their first win of the year, attacking with a .500 percentage to take the opening set 25-18. 

Taking further care of business, the home side found themselves up two sets to know against the division leaders. However, even with a great game plan being executed, the Rustlers made it clear why they lead the league, winning three sets back-to-back-to-back for the win.

Both teams will take a break over the holiday season before returning to action on January 12th when the Vikings host the SAIT Trojans and the Rustlers hit the road on January 14th against the RDP Kings.