Avery Bates, Kaylie Lueck and Lana Matthews of the Lakeland College Rustlers women’s volleyball team, go for a block against the Ambrose University Lions on Saturday night in the Lakeland Gym where the girls beat the Lions in three straight sets. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
The Lakeland College Rustlers are making friends and foes across the country as three of the school’s court teams are nationally ranked.
As of Tuesday, for the second week in a row, the Rustlers women’s volleyball team sits first in the country, the women’s basketball team is ranked second, and the men’s volleyball team is 13th nationally in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rankings.
Women’s Volleyball
Coming down from the high of winning last year’s CCAA championship, the Rustlers women’s volleyball program didn’t waste any time this year and currently hold a 7-1 record in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC). The girls are currently on a four-match winning streak with 14 points, winning 22 sets and only dropping four.
“I think getting that ranking is an extension of last year,” said women’s volleyball coach Austin Dyer.
“Winning the national championship put Alberta in that number-one spot. We also returned our whole team from last year, so the idea is out there that we should be towards the top again.
“My team is pretty banged up right now and we’ve been missing some key pieces throughout this first semester, but we’ve found a way to compete, win some games, and compete at a high level.”
Dyer explained this ranking isn’t just a positive for the team, it’s also a win for the ACAC.
“As far as us having the number-one spot, it’s always good to have recognition, and it’s pretty cool for the girls to have some national exposure with that ranking,” he said.
“If we can find a way for our conference to win the national championship again this year, whether that’s us or someone else in our conference, that would allow us to get the wildcard back and start sending two teams to nationals again.”
After the success of last year, Dyer explained there was a plan to repeat history this year, while not getting too ahead of the ball.
“After you win something like that and have a season like we did last year and returning the whole team, there’s only one thing the athletes are going to be OK with, and that’s coming back and repeating,” he said.
“With the whole team coming back, that was the expectation from day-one, but I’m trying to bring us back a bit because I’ve been in this situation before. We won a national championship, we returned the whole team and won the ACAC and won a bronze national medal … we didn’t quite get to the same point but still had a phenomenal season. I’m doing everything I can to keep our team grounded and making sure they’re enjoying every day and enjoying the work they put in to get us to this point.”
The Rustlers women’s volleyball team is at home this Saturday as they host the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings at 6 p.m. before the men play at 8 p.m.
The Rustlers are on the road next weekend for their final match of 2023 against the Vikings.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s volleyball team isn’t the only Rustlers’ squad boasting national numbers as the women’s basketball team is ranked second in the country.
The women’s basketball team is currently undefeated with a 9-0 record in the ACAC. The girls have 732 points for and 507 against and are don’t have any plans of slowing down.
With the knowledge they’ll be hosting this year’s nationals in March, head coach Chris King said they’re right where they want to be.
“The start of the season’s been huge,” said King.
“The focus for this group is very similar to the last group we had go undefeated, it’s all about championships, but with us hosting nationals, the focus is playing really good basketball for nationals and having a chance to win at home; that’s how this team was built.”
King went on to explain a goal of the program over the past 10 years has been to finish first in the ACAC north, which they’ve been very successful at over the years.
The Rustlers women’s basketball team has found great successes on the court over the years, most recently when they won a national bronze medal at the CCAA championships in Nanaimo B.C. in March of 2022.
“Now, we’re chasing something that isn’t a first time, we’re not seeing it with first-time eyes,” said King.
“We’re trying to do something different at nationals, not just in the conference.”
If Lakeland pulls off a third consecutive conference win, it will be the third in four years, something King is quite proud of.
“If you call the San Antonio Spurs a dynasty, maybe you gotta call Lakeland a dynasty,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s super hard to do with the success of our women’s volleyball program; they’ve done quite well, but winning three in four years doesn’t happen often.
“It’s also great to see men’s volleyball doing well, and men’s basketball is probably one win away from a national ranking.”
The Rustlers women’s basketball program hosts the NAIT Ooks tomorrow night in the Lakeland Gym for a 6 p.m. tipoff before the guys play at 8 p.m.
The girls will then have to wait a month to get back to action when they play the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings on the road.
Men’s Volleyball
The Rustlers men’s volleyball team, currently sitting second overall in the ACAC north with a 6-2 record, is also ranked 13th nationally.
The Rustlers hosted Lethbridge College on Friday beating the Kodiaks 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-13) before dropping three sets to Ambrose University on Saturday night.
“Friday was an amazing match against a very good opponent in Lethbridge,” said head coach Taylor Dyer.
“We won in five and it was a really good performance by our guys and a good win for the team. We came out the next day and laid an egg.
“We could have had a really good weekend, but it turned into our guys wanting a little more.”
As far as national rankings go, Dyer explained this was the first time the program has made the list, and he’s hoping it won’t be the last.
“I know the guys that have been here for a couple of years are pretty proud we’ve been recognized nationally,” said Dyer.
“I think it’s an important step forward for our group, and it’s the team’s first time ever being nationally ranked.
“We made some noise at conference championships and had our highest finish ever for Lakeland last year. Coming out this year, we started really strong and got recognized nationally for the first time, which I think is awesome for our group of guys; I think they’re pretty proud of that recognition, especially with the amount of hard work they’ve put in.”
The Rustlers men’s volleyball team has two matches before the end of the year as they host the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings on Nov. 25 and play the Vikings’s court on Dec. 1.
The boys will return to the Lakeland Gym for the first time in 2024 on Jan. 27 when they host the NAIT Ooks at 8 p.m.
The Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves will then be in town for back-to-back matches the first weekend of February.
