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Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference "To be Canada's premiere collegiate athletic conference by developing and inspiring leadership through excellence in academics, sport and citizenship"
Posted: Oct 22, 2022

Clippers Sweep Ambrose Lions

Box Score
Game Leaders
AMB
K: Nikita Marchenkov - 10
B: Matthew Clements - 2
D: Carter McLenahan - 8
SA: Nikita Marchenkov - 2
BC
K: Karym Coleman - 12
B: 3 Players (#7, #11, #20) - 1
D: Brady Watchel - 10
SA: 2 Players (#11, #20) - 2
Team Stats
Full stats

Following Friday's four-set win, the Briercrest men's volleyball team set their sights on wrestling away the ACAC South Division lead from the Ambrose Lions as the teams squared off in a Saturday afternoon tilt in Caronport, SK.

Briercrest setter Jeremy Martens opened the match with two aces, but Nikita Marchenkov flexed his muscles on serve and on the attack. Briercrest's Nate Harder baffled Ambrose receivers with a potent serving game, prompting a Lions' time out. The visitors erased a 14-10 deficit on the strength of Marchenkov's serve and Matthew Clements' net presence, but Noah Dirsten wiped the Ambrose block to break their momentum. In the waning moments of set one, Dirsten and Coleman stuffed an Ambrose attack, and a hitting error by the Lions gave Briercrest the first set, 25-22.

Out of the intermission, serving errors stifled the game flow as both teams searched for early control. Ambrose seized the lead as Emmitt Juul-Hansen worked the left side effectively, but Briercrest squared the score thanks to Darnell Bergen, whose tricky float serve induced several Lions' receiving errors. Harder and libero Brady Watchel stabilized the Briercrest passing game, Martens consolidated the attack, and Dirsten served out the game for Briercrest, 25-22.

Bergen crushed a pair of Ambrose gaffes and Coleman panelled the Ambrose libero to open set three. Marchenkov responded with a crosscourt blow, but the Lions could not benefit from his efforts. Martens and Dirsten blocked successive attacks to push the Briercrest advantage to 11- 3. Substitute libero Cole Johnson set up Bergen on a free ball, Bergen readily obliged with a rocket down the line. Briercrest intensified the pressure with a relentless attack and stingy defense as Clippers' Hudson Forsberg subbed out Martens to direct his side to a 25-14 victory in the final set.

Player of the Match recipients were Ambrose's Matt Clements, who had 9 kills, 5 digs and two blocks, and Briercrest's Tyson Nachtigall, with 2 digs and 4 kills. Next weekend, Briercrest enjoys a break in their schedule, while Ambrose faces Olds in a home-and-away affair.