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RDC Queens lose five set match to open season

It was all under control for the RDC Queens volleyball team, until it wasn’t.
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RDC Queens outside hitter McKenna Barthel spikes past a Briercrest College Clippers block on Friday night in Alberta Colleges Athletic Association volleyball action. The Queens lost in five sets. (Photo By BYRON HACKETT/Advocate Staff)

It was all under control for the RDC Queens volleyball team, until it wasn’t.

The Queens lost a five-set thriller (25-18,25-20, 22-25, 25-19, 15-11) to the Briercrest College Clippers to open the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season at home, but there was a real sense they let one slip away.

Queens head coach Chris Wandler said up two sets to nothing and a lead in the third, his team should have closed the game out.

“We didn’t do any work. We forgot how to do work. We forgot to take care of our details playing under a little bit of stress. We have a veteran team and that can’t happen,” Wandler said.

“We have to learn from this and make sure that we come up with a better consistent effort. We talked about consistency after the first couple of sets and all of a sudden it was gone.”

Even up 8-4 in the fifth set, Wandler said his team should have found the will to finish out the match.

“Thought maybe we had something then we lost the process,” Wandler said. “We start feeling sorry for ourselves, the energy sucks and it drains right out of you. A whole combination of things that we have to address.”

He said communication was the big miscue for his team in the opener, along with just digging a bit deeper to fight out tough points.

“It’s about the conversation with the person next to you and working stuff out. That’s the on court teamness we didn’t have the last two sets,” Wandler added.

Player of game for the Queens was setter Chanelle Kayser who had 34 assists in the match. Miranda Dawe led the way for RDC with 12 kills, while McKenna Barthel finished with 11. Hanna Delemont also had a game high nine blocks on the night.

Becky Garner was the player of the game for Briercrest, she had four service aces and nine kills in the win.

The two teams will do it all again Saturday afternoon with action getting underway at 1 p.m. at RDC.



Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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