Kodiaks host Rattlers in play-in game tonight

By Lethbridge Herald on February 16, 2023.

Herald photo by JuSTIN SEWArD The Lethbridge College Kodiaks women’s volleyball team practice their strategies on Tuesday as they prepare to host the Medicine Hat Rattlers in a play-in game tonight for the right to go to the ACAC championship

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Lethbridge College Kodiaks women’s volleyball are in a win-or-go-home scenario, as they host the play-in game tonight versus the Medicine Hat College Rattlers on home court.

The winner will advance to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championship tournament in Red Deer from Feb. 23-25.

“I think we’re feeling just the pre-confidence, right,” said Kodiaks head coach Anna Schwark.

“We’re not shaking in our boots or anything. So that helps just not to feel like the underdogs.”

Schwark said “very nit-picky” when it came to the focus in practice this week.

“Like the girls aren’t getting a ton of feedback right now,” said Schwark.

“We’ve pretty much, anything that they’re going to learn that they’re going to be able to use by Friday or next week, they already know. So right now, it’s just how can we make this one run a little bit faster or how can we finish our platform just to get it a little higher in the middle of the court. So everything’s pretty detailed and manute , and … essentially a lot of our practices (are) gameplay, where we just mix them up and let them feel the pressure of maybe losing in practice, just so that they can get used to feeling the pressure all the time.”

Schwark feels the Rattlers are a team the Kodiaks have confidence against.

“But if they get a lead on us or if they’re really breathing on our necks in the sets  — like we’re going to be stressed, we’re going to get a little angry and frustrated and feel the pressure,” she said.

“So we’re just trying to do our best to recreate that feeling in practice as best we can. So yeah that’s really the main things we’re working on this week.”

Mack Lewicki said Medicine Hat is a scrappy team.

“They get balls up that you think are down or they bring balls back that you think that they won’t,” she said.

“So it’s like super frustrating trying to hit a ball and it (is) just constantly coming back and then you end up making the error … It’s definitely they’re just scrappy and once they gain like a one-set win momentum, they’re on a roll. They keep pushing, and so just trying to keep them to like not getting that momentum is what’s going to help us win this weekend.”

Fifth-Year Jamie Brown said everyone in the ACAC is so close in skill level.

“You never know whose day it’s going to be,” said Brown.

“So we can’t go in overconfident. We can just go in confident with our own skill and hope to come out on top.”

Brown thinks the Kodiaks are a faster and bigger team and older.

“We have a couple of fifth years, so I think that’s going to really help us with the more knowledge side of it and the smart play, having those seniors out there ,” said Brown.

Brown said it’s stressful, when asked about a play-in game.

“It’s different than any other game because there’s so much riding on it and you never know what’s going to happen,” said Brown.

“And it could be the end but it’s just a lot more passion and a lot more heart.”

Game time is 6 p.m. tonight at Lethbridge College.

The Kodiaks go in as third seed after finishing the regular season 10-9 while the Rattlers finished with a 5-14 record and placed sixth in the South Division.

The  other south  play-in games will be SAIT versus Briercrest on Friday

The north play-in games will see Concordia University- Edmonton versus Augustana and NAIT play off Keyano College on Saturday.

The teams that have secured their spot in the championship are Red Deer Polytechnic, The King’s University, Ambrose University and Lakeland College.