Vikings get victory in front of hometown crowd

CAMROSE, Alta- The third game of the 2025 ACAC Women's Volleyball Championship showcased the dominance of the No.1 Augustana Vikings. The Vikings ended the match against the Ambrose Lions in three straight sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-23)  for the evening match at the Augustana Gym.

The victory moves the Vikings onto Semi-Finals for a shot at the ACAC Championship on Sunday, pending they win their Semi-Final match tomorrow against the winner of The Kings Eagles and Briercrest Clippers matchup. Meanwhile, the Lions who were seeded fourth in the south will play on the consolation side.

Set one opened with a commanding start from the home side, as the Augustana Vikings jumped out to an early lead behind a strong service run from Hadley Ziemmer, pushing the score to 6–1. The Ambrose Lions responded with assertive front-row play from Brooklyn Deol, but the Vikings maintained control early to set the tone in the opening set, finishing 25-22.

"We gutted out big points at big times, it was a close battle, but we won the big points" says Head Coach of the Augustana Vikings Steve Enright.
The second set was a tightly contested battle, with both sides trading points through strong defensive play. Hadley Ziemmer continued to provide a steady offensive presence for the Augustana Vikings, while Brooklyn Deol disrupted the Vikings' attack with physical front-row defence for the Ambrose Lions. Late in the set, timely digs from Cass Klinger shifted the momentum, and Tamara Mathison sealed it as Augustana closed out the set 25–19.
"Hadley played well, she had some big swings down the stretch" says Enright. "Our Libero Cassandra Klinger had one of the best matches of the year with some key digs"

The third set saw the Ambrose Lions weather early pressure from the Augustana Vikings, with Emilie Pregal delivering key digs to keep the Lions afloat against the Vikings offence. Ambrose continued to exploit openings in the Vikings' defence to build momentum, extending their edge to 8–4, while Elise Wagner showcased high-IQ offensive play befitting an all-conference veteran. Down the stretch, Hadley Ziemmer answered back with dominant front-row play, tightening the score late and bringing the set to a tense 24–23 in the red zone. The Vikings ended the match 25-23. 

The Vikings will wait for the results of Game 4 between the Briercrest Clippers and Kings Eagles this evening to learn who they will take on in ACAC Semi-Final action tomorrow at 8:00 PM MST at the Augustana Gym.