Kodiak men’s volleyball confident ahead of championship

By Lethbridge Herald on February 18, 2025.

Herald Photo by Justin Seward Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks Nolan Moes attempts a hit over the NAIT Ooks defenders of Finn Howard, left, and Mason Gorski during ACAC men's Volleyball action at Val Matteotti Gymnasium earlier this season.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks are breathing confidence ahead of the ACAC championship that begins tomorrow at Lakeland College.

The Kodiaks are going into championship after finishing the regular season with a 17-2 record , with a second place finish in the South Division and ending the regular season on a nine-game winning streak.

“I think the guys are hungry and motivated which is a big part of it too,” said Greg Gibos, Kodiak men’s volleyball head coach.

The Kodiaks went 9-1 in second semester in a schedule against all divisional teams and Gibos was asked about how that will play into the team’s confidence.

“We’re definitely battle tested,” said Gibos.

“We’ve been able to come through some adversity, we played a lot of those sets within two points and I think the boys are ready to compete when it matters the most.”

The Kodiaks have been focusing on the execution side of their game in preparation.

“So that’s kind of been the focus at practice here is lots of quality reps, lots of attention, lots of focus and really just making sure every athlete is comfortable heading into this week, knowing that they have their best abilities and that they’re able to play at the highest level come Thursday, Friday (and) Saturday,” said Gibos.

Dominating from first contact in areas such as serve receive or service pressure is what will help the Kodiaks success.

“I think we’re one of the best offensive teams in the country and we’re a really good block defend team,” said Gibos.

“So (if) we can take care of the ball behind the service line, as well as pass really well and get our team in system, we’re gonna be a really tough team for other groups to match up against.”

The team will also rely on its mental game for success.

“Championships brings a different animal when it comes to grit, resilience and some of those fun words that are a part of mental toughness,” said Gibos.

“I really hope our group, when they stare into the darkness this week, they’re able to fight back and say yeah we overcame that and we welcome those feelings of anxiety and stress because that means we’re close to something (we) really care about.”

The Kodiaks open up the championship against NAIT at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

The championship runs Thursday through Saturday this week ,with the gold medal match set for 8 p.m. on Saturday at Lakeland College.

The men’s volleyball program has not won a  league championship since they were the Lethbridge Junior College back in 1968.

Results can be found at www. acac.ab.ca/tournament/mvball/2024-25/index.