CAMROSE, AB - In an electrifying playoff battle, the north's fourth-seeded University of Alberta - Augustana Vikings defeat the fifth seed, Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder 3-2 (22-25, 25-15, 19-25, 25-15, 17-15), Saturday afternoon at Augustana Gym.

With the win, the Vikings advance to the ACAC Women's Volleyball Championship, while the Thunder sees their season come to a close.

"They put a lot of pressure on us and played fantastic, but we were finally able to put some pressure on them on the right side with Addi as she started to get some really good success for us," said Vikings head coach Steve Enright.

Coming out of the gate in true playoff fashion, both teams exchanged points, but a mid-set run topped with some Vikings errors, gave the Thunder enough of a cushion to take the set, 25-22 and the first real lead of the match.

Settling in with the home crowd, the Vikings fought back in the second set, stopping any momentum and holding their opponent to just 15 points in the second frame to even the game one set a piece.

Following the theme of back-and-forth action, the Thunder took the momentum and the matches lead back with a 25-19 set win.

In an exciting and vibrant fourth set, the Vikings with the backing of a strong home crowd eased into a 13-7 lead, before pulling ahead even more with a 17-8 lead and forcing the Thunder to take a time-out. The home side would go on to even the game at two sets each with a 25-15 win, forcing a fifth and deciding set.

With the crowd sitting on the edge of their seats, the two teams went to battle with a birth to the ACAC Women's Volleyball Championship on the line. Exchanging points early on, the Vikings took a slight edge, 10-7 before the Thunder powered back to sit on match point, 14-11. Taking a timeout to regroup and hope for a miracle, the Vikings fired back to retake the set lead 15-14, with Shae Boyes making the final kill sending the Vikings rushing to the court, 17-15.

"We need to regroup 'cause that was a pretty emotional match and have some homework to do on Ambrose, stay healthy and build off this one," added Enright as the Vikings prepare for the week ahead.

The Vikings will head south to Red Deer Polytechnic for the 2023 ACAC Women's Volleyball Championship from February 23-25, 2023.