Game One:
The NAIT Ooks won three unanswered points against the Ambrose Lions for the first set, before the Lions fought back and tied it up at 5-5. Ooks' libero Lauren Smith proved to be a steady presence for her team as they pushed hard for a 10-7 lead. The first timeout of the game was called as both teams were tied at 10 points each. The second timeout was called by the Ooks as the Lions lead 15-10. The Ooks fought back and tied the game at 18-18 and the Lions pushed ahead for a 23-21 lead. Both teams fought it out in a long rally and lots of energy before the Lions defeated the Ooks 25-23.
The second set saw the Ooks take the lead over the Lions once again, up 6-3 before continuing on 10-3. The Ooks pushed hard and continued their leads at 12-5 and 16-7 before the Lions called a timeout. The Lions continued to struggle against the Ooks as they fell behind 18-8. The Ooks captain Jamie Bain was a cornerstone for her team with a strong and consistent serve as they dominated the set. Towards the end of the set, the Ooks led 21-9, though the Lions pushed hard and tried to make a comeback, closing the distance 23-14. Ooks sub in Karly Kupka as the Lions continued to push, but it wasn't enough and the Ooks took the set 25-18.
Set three saw the Lions take the lead for the first time during the game, getting ahead 5-2. However, the Ooks weren't to be deterred and tied the game up at 8-8 with some smart plays after they'd fallen behind. Ooks' captain Bain once again at the back of the court with some quality serving, keeping the gap close at 11-10 for the Lions. Then, the steady serving of Ooks' Samantha Dodds gave the Ooks an eight serve streak and put them ahead of the Lions 21-13. The Lions weren't to be held back, however, and with some great digs and hits they kept the set alive at 22-16 for the Ooks. With some more pushing, the Lions closed the gap, but it wasn't quite enough and the Ooks took the third set 24-20.
After a great float serve from the Ooks' Karly Kupka, the Lions took the lead 3-1 in the fourth set. Neither team were willing to let the other get too far ahead as the Lions lead 5-3 and again 6-4. Despite some smart plays from Ooks' Hannah Gorgichuk, the Ooks still trailed the Lions 17-12 in this fourth set. The Lions' Julia Kemper had a three point serve run to lead the Ooks 20-13. The Lions kept up the pressure and took the fourth set 25-15 over the Ooks.
Both teams worked hard in the fifth set to take the win, with the Lions maintaining a one point lead through the first few back-and-forths. However, NAIT got stuck at five points as the Lions led 6-5 and then 8-5. Ooks' libero Lauren Smith had some killer digs and supplied her team with great energy, but it wasn't enough to keep them in the game. The Lions took a 14-9 lead and had to fight the Ooks through a long rally to get their game winning point to finish 15-9 for the set and win the game 3-2.
Game Two:
The Augustana Vikings faced off against the Lethbridge Kodiaks in front of a very supportive home crowd. The Vikings started off strong, taking the lead in the first set 5-1 and maintained that lead through 6-3 and 16-12 as the Kodiaks worked to close the gap. The Kodiaks did a great job blocking out the noise from the hometown fans and slowly worked to close the gap. The Vikings had some great blocks up by the net to keep themselves in the game, however they slowly lost their lead as they came down to the game winning points. The Kodiaks caught up to them and tied the game at 23-23. However, the Kodiaks knocked their ball out of bounds and with a Vikings' serve, the home team took the first set 25-23.
Despite a strong start to the first set, the Vikings struggled at the beginning of the second set. The Kodiaks took an early lead, though the Vikings pushed through and tied it three times at 7-7, 8-8, and 9-9, but then lost momentum and went down 15-10. The Vikings managed to close the gap at 16-13, but some close misses at the lines and serving out of bounds cost them dearly. The home team showed they can play some beautiful volleyball with some great play at 18-16, with a great back and forth between the teams. Again, a Kodiak ball just inside the Viking court cost the home team, and the Vikings eventually lost the second set 25-19.
The third set had the Vikings down 3-0, but then saw them tie it up multiple times over the next few points: 3-3, 4-4 and again at 6-6 and 7-7. The Vikings' Karen Wagner proved to be a really important part of the team as she willingly dove all over the court for the ball, but it wasn't enough as the Vikings lost several points with serves into the net and wild balls. Neither team were willing to let the other get too far ahead, no more than a point or two between either leader. Both teams battled it out back and forth, but the Vikings went up 2-1 as they won the third set 26-24.
The fourth set saw the Vikings go down early but tie it up at 3-3 but struggle to keep pace with the Kodiaks. The Kodiaks showcased some beautiful, powerful serving during fourth set. The Vikings were showing some struggle to stay in the game as they went down 12-7 and the win in the previous set didn't seem to be as much of a confidence booster as one would have thought. However, they did have some moments where they showed what they're capable of; especially along the net. There were some great moments of finding the perfect spot to dump the ball and some great blocking happening on the Vikings' side. However, it wasn't enough and the Kodiaks led 20-15. The Vikings continued to struggle through the rest of the set with some out of bound balls and narrow misses and the Kodiaks confidently took the win with a final score of 25-20.
The Kodiaks went up early and despite the Vikings working hard and tying it up at 2-2 and keeping it within a point at 5-4, they couldn't quite make it past there. The Kodiaks capitalized on the Vikings' mistakes and took a 10-6 lead and from there it was clear the Kodiaks had the game as they lead 11-7 and then 14-8. The Vikings managed to grab a few more points before the end of the set, but the Kodiaks eventually took it with a final score of 15-10 and won the game 3-2.
Game Three:
The Red Deer College Queens started off the first set in the lead, though the Lakeland Rustlers didn't trail too far behind. Eventually the Queens pulled ahead 9-5 and the Queens' tough blocking did much to stifle the Rustlers' offensive efforts.
The Queens kept up their dominance through the first set with some solid spiking and excellent defence against the net, staying ahead 20-13 and then confidently winning the set 25-16. They played aggressively through the first set and their defensive abilities didn't allow for the Rustlers to mount any type of offensive run.
After their loss in the first set, the Rustlers came back aggressively in the second set, working to break through the Queens' defense with some long range spikes and solid hitting. The Rustlers worked their way to a four point lead, going ahead 7-3 and enjoying being in control of the game. The Rustlers worked hard to stifle the Queens' game along the net, though their lead was broken down slowly by the Queens. Neither team was willing to let the other get too comfortable, as the Queens worked their way to a single point deficit against the Rustlers, trailing 20-19. The push is enough and the Queens eventually took the second set as well, winning 25-21.
The Queens took the lead of the third set, looking to finish the game in three. The Rustlers kept pushing back, however, and kept within a point of the Queens, trailing 10-9, and showing they had what it took to stay in the game. They did what they needed to and eventually took over the lead, going ahead 14-12 and beginning to outplay the Queens at the net for the first time during the game. The Queens rallied and managed to pull ahead again, though it wasn't to last long as the Rustlers started to show a more aggressive form of play. The Rustlers knew they needed a win to push the game to a fourth set and managed to lead the Queens in the dying points of the game, pulling out in front at 21-20. The lead was enough to give the Rustlers the confidence they needed and they took the third set 25-22.
The win was enough to boost the Rustlers' confidence heading into the fourth set as they began to play a more aggressive game against the Queens. Both teams fought hard to get in the lead, but neither managed to pull ahead very far, tying the game at 15-15 towards the middle, as the Queens played a strong offensive which was counteracted by the Rustlers' tough defence. Both teams kept their fans on the edge of their seats as they got closer to the winning points of the game, with the Rustlers going ahead 23-22 near the end. The Queens had a chance to win the set and take the game, but the Rustlers kept forging ahead and the game tied at 23-23, 24-24, and 25-25, and the Rustlers eventually pulled enough ahead to win the fourth set 28-26.
After going down 2-0, the Rustlers had an amazing come back and weren't going to go quietly and were in a winning state of mind. The Queens pushed hard to take the third set, but ultimately, the Rustlers were ready to go all the way and took the fifth set 15-9 and win the game 3-2.
Game Four:
The Briercrest Clippers started the first set controlling the play as the Kings' Eagles tried to keep up. The Clippers took a solid lead, going ahead 7-4 and then 10-6 as they got comfortable on the court. The Kings had few answers to the Clippers' strong blocks, and when the Clippers weren't scoring points themselves, the Eagles were making mistakes and giving them the points, so the Clippers ended up leading 17-8.
The Clippers continued their relentless style of play towards the end of the first set, leading 22-15 as the Eagles tried to mount a comeback towards the end of the set, but couldn't quite manage it. The final result was that the Clippers took the first set 25-19.
The Clippers continued on during the second set and looked to be ready to stay in the lead, though the Eagles showed they have what it takes as well and managed to grab their first lead of the game, going ahead 7-4. The Eagles gave the Clippers something to work for, with more back and forth between the two teams. However, the Clippers managed to tie up the game and then confidently head back into the lead, cruising to a 20-10 lead. While the Eagles managed to get a few more points on the board, the Clippers stayed 10 points ahead as they led 23-13 and swiftly won the second set 25-13.
Set three was the Clippers' from the whistle, as the Kings tried to come up with a win to keep themselves in the game. It looked to work, as the Eagles took a 5-3 lead over the Clippers, though it didn't last long. The Clippers headed back into the lead, going ahead 12-9 on the Eagles and continued to push their way to a third win. The Eagles tried to keep the distance within a few points, but couldn't quite make it as the Clippers continued to stay ahead 18-13. In the end, the Clippers were able to dictate play from the very beginning and were able to overcome an early push by the Eagles. Towards the end of the set, it looked like the Eagles might be able to push it to a fourth set, but it wasn't meant to be as the Clippers took the third set 15-19 and finished the game 3-0.