.jpg)
Men's Volleyball
Huskies to host ACAC hoops and volleyball 2013 
by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMurray TODAY
Keyano College will host its first-ever Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championship next February and its second a week later.
The Keyano College Huskies men’s volleyballl team will host the ACAC championships between Feb. 22 and 24 and the men’s basketball team will host conference championships the following weekend, March 1 to 3.
“We just got awarded, it last week, but we’re definitely, because it’s back-to-back, be looking to engage the community and students,” said Michelle Toner, marketing and guest services manager for Keyano’s sport and wellness department.
“Plans will definitely be made to make sure the community will be a part of the championship. Tickets will be accessible, we want everyone to come to the games to support the Huskies.”
Up until this coming season, the conference championships were decided based on the standings at the half-way point of the year, but now they are awarded with a bid process.
“I think it’s a better process because you get a school and a community that’s really focused on putting on a great event,” said Toner.
“You have almost a year’s notice instead of a couple of months notice. It’ll be better for the athletes as well because it should bring a sense of excitement to the whole season.”
While Keyano has not hosted conference championships before, it did host the 2009 men’s national volleyball championships.
The ACAC championships may not be as big in prestige but they will be much larger in scope.
Approximately 120 athletes plus coaching staff and trainers will be coming to Fort McMurray for each conference championship and all games will be played at the CNRL Gymnasium inside the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.
Both teams made appearances in the top 10 rankings of Canadian colleges.
The men’s basketball team finished with a regular season record of 14-6, which was the fourth best in the ACAC.
The men’s volleyball team had an identical record of 14-6 and they finished fourth at provincials which was their best showing so far. But with a guaranteed berth as host team they are looking to finish even higher this year.
“For a program that has been around for 20 or so years and we’ve only really made it to provincials twice, the fact that we can host provincials and be guaranteed a spot means we can focus on provincials and do our very best,” said Huskies men’s volleyball coach Trent Mason.
“We have to give a big hats off to our athletic department who have done a fantastic job for setting us for success. A couple of years ago we got nationals and now hosting provincials, we had to give kudos to them.”
Huskies Finish Championships in 4th
02/25/2012 - Keyano Huskies finish 4th in ACAC men's volleyball playoffs losing three straight 22-25, 13-25, 24-26 to defending ACAC champ Briercrest Clippers in Moose Jaw at the FieldHouse earlier today.
In a close game three, the Huskies came back from a five point deficit behind the play of 6-foot-3 right side Matt Hebert to come within one point 22-23. A Clippers timeout was followed by a service out by Huskies’ Tyson Swain 22-24.
In a close game three, the Huskies came back from a five point deficit behind the play of 6-foot-3 right side Matt Hebert to come within one point 22-23. A Clippers timeout was followed by a service out by Huskies’ Tyson Swain 22-24.
Graduating player Mitch Schneider came up with a big time kill to make it 23-24. Hebert than followed with a one-on-one block to tie the game at 24-24.
A net service error by Justin Allcock gave the home team a 25-24 lead and a following kill made it 26-24 for the Saskatchewan team.
Player of the Game for Huskies was Mitch Schneider
Congratulations to head coach Trent Mason and crew. Huskies ended up ranked No. 15 in Canada.
A net service error by Justin Allcock gave the home team a 25-24 lead and a following kill made it 26-24 for the Saskatchewan team.
Player of the Game for Huskies was Mitch Schneider
Congratulations to head coach Trent Mason and crew. Huskies ended up ranked No. 15 in Canada.
Matt Hebert and Justin Allcock each had 10 kills in bronze medal game loss. Alex Phillips had 14 digs. Mitch Schneider had four blocks.
Quotes from head coach Trent Mason will be coming later.
Huskies Crowned by Kings in Semi Final
02/24/2012 Keyano Huskies lost to Red Deer Kings RDC 25-10, 26-24, 25-11 in semi final pl;ay at CCAA Men's Volleyball Championships in Moose Jaw tonight. Will play for bronze medal tomorrow at 1 p.m. vs loser of Briercrest Clippers vs Mount Royal Cougars. Comments from Huskies coach Trent Mason.
"We played terrible. We still have a little reflecting to do. We walked out and we played timid. We sat back and they (Red Deer Kings) took total control. The entire first game we were on our heels, quiet and timid. Even in the second game when we were in control 20-15 all of a sudden they became more aggressive and we had to use both of our time outs and we simply lost our confidence…maybe the pressure of a championship semi-final.
“For tomorrow after today it is all mental. We have to go out there and believe in ourselves. It’s going to be a great atmosphere with the hometown team playing but we have to get back to playing aggressive and believing in ourselves.”
Justin Allcock had eight kills for the Huskies. Huskies were out spiked 43-25 and out blocked eight to four.
By the Numbers
02/24/2012 - Keyano Huskies men's volleyball play Red Deer Kings in semi-final ACAC provincials tonight at 6 p.m. at Moose Jaw FieldHouse and hosted by Briercrest Clippers..
Keyano Huskies did not play Red Deer Kings in ACAC regular season play
Huskies regular season record 14 matches won, six matches lost, 47 games won, 31 games lost
Kings regular season record 16 matches won, four matches lost, 53 games won, 31 games lost
BANGO
Huskies: Matt Herbert 239
Kings: Quentin Schmidt 252 kills
IN YOUR FACE
Huskies: Matt Herbert 43
Kings Boston Maris 42 blocks
SERVICE WITH A SMILE
Huskies: Justin Allcock 33 aces
Kings: Tucker Leinweber 18 aces
DIG IT
Huskies: Alex Phillips 239
Kings: Tucker Leinweber 186 digs
Huskies Erik Kuhr with huge block to win Game 3 against the Lethbridge Kodiaks earlier today at the 2011/2012 ACAC Men's Volleyball Championships in Moose Jaw. Huskies won 25-27, 21-25,25-15, 25-22,10-15. Semi-final tomorrow 6 p.m. vs Red Deer Kings. Watch on sportscanada.tv No stats of game available at this time.
Photo courtesy Erwin Kuhr
Interview with Trent Mason, Huskies men's volleyball coach at 2011/2012 ACAC Championships in Moose Jaw earlier today at 2 p.m.
02/24/2012 - With the Keyano Huskies men’s volleyball team defeating the Lethbridge Kodiaks 25-27, 21-25,25-15, 25-22,10-15 yesterday at the 2011/2012 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championships in Moose Jaw, Sask., history was made as they will now be in the Final 4….a first for the men’s program here in Fort McMurray.
But history can be improved on as tonight at 6 p.m. they play the Red Deer Kings in a semi-final match which may be seen on www.sportscnada.tv. The winner goes to the championships!
Huskies head coach Trent Mason said the team “must be firing on all cylinders” is they wish to spike past Red Deer.
“Although it was our best match of the season (vs Lethbridge) we are not done yet. For Red Deer we will have to come out and play better tonight as we play a better team. We will have to execute better and look forward to the improvement as we step forward.”
Mason says the “lack of respect” has motivated the Huskies.
“We talked about being proud of what we have done this year….proud of what the boys have accomplished. All year we were one of the top teams (in ACAC won/loss standings) yet we were not recognized by the other coaches. Not one school would give us credit.”
With the Briercrest Clippers (No. 8), Lethbridge Kodiaks (No. 12), Mount Royal Cougars (No. 12) and Red Deer Kings (No. 6), it was only in the final week of play that the Huskies cracked the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association rankings with the final No. 15 spot.
Earlier today the Huskies had a tour of the CFB Moose Jaw and saw the famous Snowbirds Demonstration Team in action and later met the pilots.
Hopefully they absorbed what it takes to be a Top Gun as they soar over the Kings tonight.
HUSKIES FIRST SPIKE TO SUCCESS
by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMurray TODAY
02/24/2012 The Keyano College Huskies men’s volleyball team are off to a great start in their pursuit of the ACAC Championship in Moose Jaw, Sask.
The Huskies pulled out a five-set victory over the Lethbridge College Kodiaks Thursday afternoon to earn a trip to the semi-finals tonight against the Red Deer College Kings.
“It was an up and down affair. We came out winning the first two games and the next two Lethbridge really stepped up their game and played the way we expected,” said coach Trent Mason.
“In the fifth set, we were the better team and we came away with a huge victory.
While Justin Allcock earned player of the game for the Huskies, Mason said it was a true team victory.
“I could name every single one of our guys, from our libero Alex Phillips to Tyson Swain our centre and Erik Kuhr our second left-side stepped up and won some big points but it was a good game for just about everyone,” said Mason.
While the Lethbridge matchup went down to the wire, Mason was happy with the way his team played and hopes they can continue that kind of performance against Red Deer tonight.
“Tomorrow it’s all about execution — play a good team game and really we want them to be the same,” said Mason.
“Today they played their best game of the year and tomorrow we expect they’ll play even better.”
The Huskies will played Red Deer at 6 p.m. Watch on www.sportscanada.tv
Huskies regular season record 14 matches won, six matches lost, 47 games won, 31 games lost
Kodiaks regular season record 13 matches won, seven matches lost, 48 games won, 33 games lost
Top Kills
Huskies: Matt Herbert 239; Justin Allcock 219
Kodiaks: Nic Dubinsky 245, Jose Mendoza , 159
Top Blocks
Huskies: Matt Herbert 43
Kodiaks Tom Lyon 55
Top Digs
Huskies: Alex Phillips 239, Justin Allcock 153
Kodiaks: Vitor Macedo 166
Responses from Huskies third-year setter Tyson Swain for same questionairre in previous post pertaining to ACAC 2011/2012 Mens' Volleyball Championships which start tomorrow
#1) In order to beat lethbridge the opening round we will need to play as a team. We all need to be communicating well and be playing our best volleyball.
#2) I'd like to play Red Deer in the second match. I’m from outside Red Deer (Leslieville, Alberta) and used to play club volleyball for the kings program. As well I have some friends that still play for red deer so I feel as though it would be a good match. They are ranked first right now and feel that we could upset them and move on to the final.
#3) To get to the finals all the players and coaches will need to be on the same page. We need to execute our game plan for each game as well as play as a team. If we take care of business on our side we will be able to make to the final and win. Communication will be huge this weekend as we are playing in a new gym. The crowd is very close to the court and it is expected to be a large crowd as well."
#1) In order to beat lethbridge the opening round we will need to play as a team. We all need to be communicating well and be playing our best volleyball.
#2) I'd like to play Red Deer in the second match. I’m from outside Red Deer (Leslieville, Alberta) and used to play club volleyball for the kings program. As well I have some friends that still play for red deer so I feel as though it would be a good match. They are ranked first right now and feel that we could upset them and move on to the final.
#3) To get to the finals all the players and coaches will need to be on the same page. We need to execute our game plan for each game as well as play as a team. If we take care of business on our side we will be able to make to the final and win. Communication will be huge this weekend as we are playing in a new gym. The crowd is very close to the court and it is expected to be a large crowd as well."
Veteran Mitch Schneider leads Huskies on weekend
Photo by Erwin Kuhr
Mitch Schneider TODAY Athlete of the Week
by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMuray TODAY
Age: 23
Hometown: Medstead, Sask.
Team: Keyano Huskies men’s volleyball team
Position: Middle
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 205 lbs
Favourite athlete: Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning. “He’s as good as anyone in the league and he works hard to be there. It’s not just as all God-given talent, it’s the extra time he puts in.”
• Career highlight:
“I have two: one personal and one for playing. In some ways this weekend was cool for me. It was kind of a full circle thing because I can remember back to my first games at Keyano and then to have all the guys out there wearing No. 8 in the warmup, it was pretty cool, I never would’ve thought something like that would happen.
"Playing wise, I was in my second year and we were playing Kings University College and we were making a run at nationals and we just played some amazing volleyball and then the week after we hosted Grant MacEwan and we beat them.”
• Future goals:
“In volleyball, I’d love to be able to go to provincials this year and bring back a medal. I believe that’s something we’ve never done ... career-wise, I’d like to finish up and get my education degree. I can see myself coaching down the line and maybe going to a small town and be a teacher and live that kind of life.”
••••
Saturday afternoon was surreal for Keyano College Huskies middle Mitch Schneider.
The fifth-year middle can remember being a nervous rookie playing his first game for the Huskies; now suddenly it’s 2012 and his teammates are all wearing his No. 8 in honour of his last home game.
“I remember when I first came here I was thinking I’ll stay for two years in Fort McMurray, but I’ve really enjoyed my time here and really love playing here,” said Schneider.
“(When I first started) It just seemed a long ways away, but it’s unbelievable just to get here. Last games here, that’s really something.”
Schneider was able to cap off his last home game in style, earning player-of-the-game honours for the Huskies for his 15-kill, three-blocked shot performance in the Huskies 3-2 win over the Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves on Saturday.
He also had nine kills, one service ace, three digs and four blocked shots on Friday. Although Schneider’s numbers were impressive, his vocal cues and experience on the court were just as important to the Huskies who were able to overcome a strong comeback attempt from the Wolves.
“Between the fourth and fifth game I didn’t even need to step in there,” said Huskies men’s coach Trent Mason.
“Mitch Schneider got the guys going. He’s got that energy and he’s really one of the main reasons we won that fifth game, just helping out. It’s not just how you hit the ball on the floor, it’s all about energy and things like that.”
Although Schneider didn’t play in the first semester, he’s making his presence known around the league since his return. He’s only played six games so far, but even with the small sample size it appears he’s at least as good if not better than he has been in his career. He averaged 1.47 kills-per-game last year and 1.14 the year before.
This season he’s up to 2.15 even though he hadn’t played in the league in several months and he’s certainly boosted the Huskies so far.
“Not to take anything away from the guys who were in the middle before but he’s a guy that has five years of experience at that position,” said Justin Allcock, one of the leaders on the Huskies this year.
“That position has to do with knowledge and reading the plays and knowing what’s going to happen next and that’s where it’s good to have a guy like him.”
Schneider and the Huskies are back on the road this weekend to take on the Briercrest Clippers, the top ranked ACAC team in the battle for first place in the league
Mitch Schneider Leads Huskies
01/21/2012 - If you are a fan of college volleyball you may certainly have had your weekend quota filled as the Keyano Huskies needed back-to-back days of full five-game matches to defeat the visiting Grande Prairie Wolves in ACAC action at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre.
The Huskies, now 12-4 in matches won/lost and 39-23 in games won/games lost, proved victorious Friday 18-25,25-17,24-26,25-20,15-13 and Saturday 26-24,25-21,16-25,17-25,15-11.
“We did not start out well either day and if we were going to win the match it was going to be in five games,” said Huskies head coach Trent Mason. “But when it came to the fifth and final game and when it really counted we were the team that game out and played aggressive.”
Veteran Matt Hebert led the Huskies offence Friday with 20 kills. Alex Phillips, with 11 digs, also used his head, or should we say face, as in the second game a powerful Wolves spike hit him square on with the ball going back over the net to score a point for the Huskies 20-14!
Erik Kuhr also assisted with 10 kills....one which won Game 2 25-21. Tiago Oliveira also had a good game coming off bench to spark team and he also served an ace to win the fourth game 25-20.
Prior to Saturday afternoon’s game Huskies fifth year veteran Mitch Schneider was honoured as this would be his last regular season home appearance.
Schneider went on to lead the Huskies to victory with 15 kills. Hebert had 19 and Justin Allcock 12.
Tiago Oliveira also came off the bench to add a spark with four blocks.
“After the fourth game we were down and we had just lost two bad games… I did not need to step in to say anything,” said Mason. “Mitch showed his veteran leadership and spoke to the team and told them what they had to do and got them riled up and ready to go.”
Huskies next games are Jan 27-28 against the host and top ACAC team Briercrest Clippers who sport and identical record but ranked No. 5 in Canada by the CCAA.
Matt Hebert had amazing 20 kills during a match win against the Grande Prairie Wolves in ACAC action Jan 20, 2012 at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre,
Home Sweet Home
by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMurray Today
01/20/2012 - It’s the last home weekend of the season for both Keyano College Huskies volleyball teams against the visiting Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves.
For the women’s Huskies, this game is important to gain some points in the standings if they are going to make playoffs.
The 4-10 Huskies are currently in a dead heat with three other teams and even though they are playing the 8-6 Wolves, they can’t afford to let points slip away.
“We’ve had a sense of urgency since Concordia and now there is just a constant feeling of go out and play aggressive,” said Huskies women’s coach Sean Seywright. “I think we have to do everything we can to put wins on the board every night, we’re in too much of a tie right now. We need to find a way to make distance especially with some of our opponents playing weaker teams this weekend. We know we’ve got to win.”
Seywright said that GPRC has a very good team with some tall players and a talented rookie, but they are not unbeatable for the Huskies.
“We need good defense, improve our passing, stick to the game plan and pick on the weaknesses,” said Seywright. “That’s what we’ll need to win.”
Keyano’s women’s team hosts GPRC at 6 p.m. tonight and 1 p.m. tomorrow afternoon at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.
The Huskies men’s team may be looking down at Grande Prairie from the standings but they are also looking for a little home court redemption having played sloppy in their last home games against Augustana.
“Considering how we played last time at home, which was very disappointing, we’re definitely looking to come back and do much better this weekend,” said Huskies men’s coach Trent Mason.
Mason thinks the Wolves are better than their record suggests, especially this semester.
“They’re a very scrappy team that has the potential to play very well,” said Mason. “We know they gained a fifth year middle this semester so it definitely changes the dynamic of their team and they’ve been playing much better volleyball as of late.”
The Huskies men’s team hosts GPRC at 8 p.m. tonight and 3 p.m. tomorrow.
With this weekend being the last home games of the season, it’s also the last home games as Keyano Huskies for fifth-year students Samantha Hicks, Tena Brass, and potentially Mitch Schneider.
“It definitely gives us a lot of motivation, being our last home game and such an important game to push for playoffs,” said Hicks. “It makes it a little more exciting too I think. I always knew this day would come but it seems to have come a lot sooner than I ever thought.”
Alex Phillips (No. 2) in blue behind teammate Erik Kuhr had an impressive 44 digs in the weekend wins against Medicine Hat Rattlers.
Huskies back on Win Track
01/15/2012 - Keyano Huskies men’s volleyball team continue to stand near the top of the 14 team ACAC with two match wins over the host Medicine Hat Rattlers this past weekend 27-25,17-25,25-23,25-15 and 25-18,25-19, 25-22.
Huskies, at 10-4 with 33 games won and 19 lost, are in second place behind Briercrest Clippers, ranked No. 9 in the CCAA.
Matt Hebert led the attacks with 24 kills combined and six blocks. Justin Allcock chipped in with 21 and Mitch Schneider with 16.
Alex Phillips had 44 digs.
This weekend the Huskies host the Grande Prairie Wolves (4-10 matches 22 games won 30 lost) Friday Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. and Saturday Jan 21. at 3 p.m. at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre
Huskies Not Psyched
01/08/2012 - Volleyball has a huge psychological side when it comes to performance and winning.
You could have a 44 inch vertical with a massive spike – BANGO – but if your head is not into the game it may become a virus spreading to the rest of the team.
Such was the case for the Keyano Huskies men’s volleyball team as they fell to the visiting Augustana Vikings this weekend 17-25,26-24,25-23,25-23 Friday and 25-27,22-25,25-19,25-19,15-12 Saturday at the Syncrude Sports & Wellness Centre in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference regular season play opening the 2012 second semester.
“Our performance this weekend was poor,” said Huskies head coach Trent Mason, his team coming in at 8-2 with the Vikings at 5-5. “It was our mental ability to get into the match…it had nothing to do technically on the floor. The guys on the floor were not cutting it and the young guys came in and gave us some energy that we needed but not enough for the wins.”
The positive was that bench players, especially Michael Archibald, showed that he could perform on the hardwood.
“The better we are as a team and having others to step in will help us get back to our winning ways,” said Mason.
Returning to the team was fifth year veteran Mitch Schneider who sat out the first semester. Schneider had five kills Friday and an impressive 11 the next day.
Justin Allcock and Matt Hebert led the Huskies with 12 and 11 kills respectively in the first match. Hebert and Allcock had 14 and 12 kills Saturday.
Huskies now have a record of eight matches won and four matches with 27 games won and 18 lost. Huskies next games are against the host Medicine Hat Rattlers (6-6) Jan 13-14.
Matt Hebert had 25 kills in weekend series
photo by Erwin Kuhr
Welcome Back Volleyball
by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMurray TODAY
01/06/2012 - Both Keyano College Huskies volleyball teams ended last year on a high note and both will be looking to continue their momentum this weekend when they play host to the Augustana Vikings at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.
The men's team played a tune-up pre-season tournament this weekend, going 1-3 this week after eight straight victories in 2011.
Men's head coach Trent Mason has no worries going into this weekend however, and was just trying to get his players back into playing form.
"It's not one bit concerning," said Mason. "We were there as an entire team to just start getting better and getting rid of some Christmas rust. That was our goal and we accomplished that."
The men's Augustana team is 5-5 on the season so far and Mason expects a close match.
"They've won some pretty big games last semester and beat some top teams, which some would say was a surprise," said Mason.
"We watched them down in Calgary and they're a very good volleyball team, very scrappy volleyball so it should be fun to watch."
Mason's team should be fully healthy this weekend and have actually added another player in fifth year Mitchell Schneider who practiced with the team in the first semester. Schneider is a middle and could play this weekend.
The women's team will play Augustana at 6 p.m. tonight and 1 p.m. Saturday while the men's team will play at 8 p.m tonight and 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Huskies Shake off the Rust
01/03/2012...Calgary, Alberta - Keyano College men’s volleyball head coach Trent Mason looks to the Timber Town Invitational Volleyball Tournament at Mount Royal College in Calgary as “a great way to shake off the rust” after a two-week Christmas break.
“We practiced right up until December 16 (2011) and then gave the boys a break,” said Mason of the 8-2 Huskies in Alberta Colleges Athleic Confernce regular season play. “The boys are reallky greatfull to have this opportunity o play in such a competitive tournament.”
Mason said it also gives him the opportuniry to play his entire roster.
“Everyone is a little banged up and bruised but no major injuries,” said Mason.
Huskies started the tournament with a match victory 25-11, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16 over College of The Rockies. “It was a typical first match back….a little rusty.”
In their next exhition game they lost to Mount Royal Cougars 18-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-25 . “We didn’t play well. We had a practice and then a match and those two combined …the guys were pretty stiff and sluggish.”
Up against NAIT Ooks the Huskies lost 15-25, 18-25, 20-25. “If we had any gas against Mount Royal, we were completely out of gas for his one although we did have some positive notes (the overall tournament play of Jordan Blais and Alex Phillips).”
Huskies play Grant MacEwan Griffins tomorrow in tournament play.
Huskies return to home court this Friday Jan. 6 and Saturday Jan. 7 at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre when they host the winless Augustana Vikings in second half ACAC action.
“To be successful in the second half, we have to just continue to push from within.”
Allcock Keyano Male Athlete of the Month for November
by Trevor Holwett, Fort McMurray TODAY
12/09/2011 - Keyano College announced its Huskies athletes of the month at a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.
Keyano's male athlete of the month was Huskies volleyball left side Justin Allcock. Allcock is fourth in the ACAC in kills per set, averaging 3.5. He is also currently leading the league in service aces per set with 0.6 — twice what the second place has registered.
"Justin is our captain and he's a quiet guy but he leads by example. He's the reason we're 8-2," said Huskies assistant coach Keegan Kuhr.
"He's a very composed player and when the guys need to get going, he knows what to say. He's a very good player, great guy to have on the team."
Allcock recorded 79 kills in the month of November, as well as 14 service aces.
However, he feels that anyone from the 8-2 men's volleyball team could've won the honour.
"I think I played fairly well, but our team as a whole just played so well that it would be hard for me to single out anyone player on our team," said Allcock.
The Huskies – who have nicknamed Allcock "Dad" – see the 24-year-old as one of the premier players in the league and expect he'll continue his recent success through to the second semester.
"He's one of the best in the league, you always have to look at the best players as the ones who can help your team win," said Kuhr.
"In the clutch situations, we're always looking for a big ace or a big kill and he's been able to provide that for the whole first semester and he probably will next year as well."
Huskies Finish First Half of Season in Style
November 27, 2011 - Keyano College Huskies men's volleyball team swept the Concordia Thunder yesterday afternoon 25-19, 25-14, and 25-16 to finish the first half of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference with an impressive record of eight matches won and two lost with 24 games won and 12 lost. They finish behind Briercrest Clippers who had an identical match record but with 27 games won and only 10 lost.
Justin Allcock had 15 kills and Matt Hebert 12 kills for the Huskies.
"It gave our guys off the bench a chance to come in and get a little bit more playing time then they are used to," said Huskies head coach Trent Mason of the weekend series which saw plenty of substitutes. "This makes us stronger as a whole."
Of the team’s performance to date Mason said: "This may be the best first semester of any ACAC Keyano volleyball team. These guys have worked very hard and deserve it. It is a combination of guys being willing to make changes and work together plus we have four coaches which means a lot of one-on-one training available."
Huskies Alex Phillips received MVP Game Honours Saturday.
Photo by Erwin Kuhr
Balanced Attack leads to W
November 26, 2011 - Keyano College Huskies men’s volleyball team spread the wealth last night when they defeated the visiting Concordia Thunder in an Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference match at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre 25-22, 25-18 and 25-10.
With a team total 35 kills compared to 23 for the Thunder, the Huskies attack featured Justin Allcock, 9; Matt Hebert, 8; Jeredd Jalbert, 6 ; Tiago Oliveira, 5 and Erik Kuhr with four kills.
Allcock also had a high of five service aces and Hebert three blocks.
Huskies are now seven matches won and two lost with 21 games won 12 lost.
They return to the SSWC this afternoon at 3 p.m. to play the Thunder.
Hometown product Tiago Oliveira had five kills for the Huskies
Photo by Erwin Kuhr
Allcock named ACAC Athlete of the Week
Thursday, 10 November 2011 09:48
ACAC Athlete of the Week
Justin Allcock
Keyano College
Men's Volleyball
The Keyano Huskies swept The King’s University College Eagles this past weekend, 3-0 and 3-2 propelling the Huskies to fourth place in the ACAC.
On Saturday it was the Justin Allcock show with an incredible 21 kills and three blocks in a five-game match that went Huskies way 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 23-25 and 15-11. On Friday he had five kills, three service aces and one block.
Volleyball MVP of Eden High School Gr. 10 and Grade 12 and Athlete of the Year in Grade 12, Allcock came to Keyano College from St. Catharines, Ontario after one year of post secondary play with the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Warriors where the highlight was playing against Penn State. With a 36 inch vertical and 6-foot-4 frame, Allcock has been a standout player in the ACAC ranks with 163 kills last year.
Congratulations Justin on an oustanding performance!
Huskies Justin Allcock, shown her spiking, is a star player in ACAC ranks.
Photo by Erwin Kuhr
Huskies Fly Over Eagles
Sunday, 06 November 2011 09:34
11/06/2011 - Keyano College Huskies defeated The King’s University College Eagles this past Friday 26-24, 25-21 and 21-13 behind the 10 kills performance of 6-foot-3 right side Matthew Hebert and 6-foot-4 left side Justin Allcock assisted with five kills, three service aces and one block.
Will Gelderman had 15 kills for the Eagles.
On Saturday it was the Allcock show with an incredible 21 kills and three blocks in a five-game match that went Huskies way 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 23-25 and 15-11.
Tiago Oliveira has four blocked shots for the Huskies.
Eagles Jacob Skepple had 17 kills.
“Justin played a major role in our two road wins this weekend against the Kings College Eagles,” said Huskies coach Trent Mason. “Justin gave us an opportunity to win each night with consistent passing, aggressive serving and offensive efficiency.”
Huskies Justin Allcock had 21 kills yesterday vs. Eagles.
Photo by Erwin Kuhr
Volleyball on the Road
Friday, 04 November 2011 06:15
by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMurray TODAY
11/04/2011 - Both Keyano volleyball teams are on the road this weekend to take on the King's College Eagles in ACAC action.
The women's team are looking for their first win of the season after going 0-4 the last two weekends, but they may have a hard time against the Eagles.
"They are a top team from last year, they finished at the top of the league in the regular season and they returned all of their players except one on the outside," said coach Sean Seywright.
"I expect a consistent performance from them and some dynamic attacking. We put in a game plan to try to put them at some disadvantages or just force them out of where they are comfortable."
With the challenge ahead of them, Seywright is simply looking for improved play from last weekend.
He knows that his team can play well under pressure and hopes they can realize that.
"It's still early in the season for us and we still have a lot of new players in our program so we're looking for growth," said Seywright.
"They're a good team and they know that we're hungry. In the preseason we only lost by a couple of points, maybe 3 or 4, but we were with them in every game.
"Also we're pretty hungry and hopefully we'll come away with our first win of the year."
The men's Huskies team are looking to build off a strong homeopener weekend and improve their record from 2-2.
Kings is coming off a loss to NAIT but otherwise have the same record as King's so the two should have a close match.
Will Gelderman, left-side for the Eagles, is currently fifth, just behind Huskies right-side Matthew Hebert in kills per set in the ACAC, adding to the interest in the matchup.
The men's team plays Kings at 8 p.m. tonight and 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The women play at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. at the King's Gym.
Fort McMurray TODAY Athlete of the week
By Trevor Howlett
Matthew Hebert knows the value of hard work.
In addition to putting on a clinic at the Friday and Saturday volleyball game between the Keyano Huskies and the Lethbridge College Kodiaks, Hebert also worked a 12-hour shift at Shell on Friday and also worked in the morning on Saturday before leading the team with 13 kills in the second match.
"He's a professional. He works out at site and still comes in to play and practice," said Huskies coach Trent Mason.
"His determination and commitment to the team is huge. He rides a bus an hour out of town and an hour back and then comes to practice. He has that veteran presence in showing the young guys what it means to be committed."
Despite working full-time during the season, the second-year right side with the Huskies is currently fourth in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference in kills per set with 3.6 and has 47 kills so far this year.
Hebert missed last season but is ready to return to full-time play again this season.
The Manitoba native says the Keyano volleyball program is "really strong" and that he is proud to play for them.
For Hebert, volleyball is a great sport because it's intense and the players have to play as a team.
"I like the intensity, hitting the ball and blocking — those are my favourite things," he described. ]"It's a good team sport. Everyone has to be playing together, you can't win with just one player."
Although Hebert is only in his second year, Mason believes Hebert's experience on the court has helped many of the younger players.
"He is very vocal and does a great job in helping our young guys out," said Mason.
"He keeps them talking and it helps everybody."
Rookie middle Tiago Oliveira said he feels Hebert's attitude is his greatest asset to the team.
"He always has a positive attitude and he's always striving for everyone to do their best," Oliveira said.
"It's really good to see someone looking out for everyone else to play their best, it makes your team better."
Hebert and the rest of the Keyano College Huskies will travel to Edmonton this weekend to play a pair of matches against the King's University College Eagles on Friday and Saturday.
The two teams have identical 2-2 records, so there should be some tight games. The Huskies play at 8 p.m Friday and 3 p.m Saturday at the King's Gym.
Age: 20
hometown: Ile des Chenes, Man.
team: Keyano Huskies Men's Volleyball Team
position: Right side
height: 6'3"
weight: 195 lbs
favourite athlete: None. "I don't follow sports very much."
future goals: "In Volleyball? I'd love to win it all this year, that'd be awesome. Otherwise I'm just working on becoming an electrician and that's basically it."
High flying Matt Hebert - Fort McMurray TODAY Athlete of the Week
Photo by Erwin Kuhr
Huskies Edge Kodiaks
Saturday, 29 October 2011 19:47
10/29/2011 - In an evenly matched contest today, the Keyano College Huskies men’s volleyball team defeated the visiting Lethbridge Kodiaks 25-23, 25-22 and 26-24 in an Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference match played at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre.
“It is an expectation that when teams come to town that we should win some games,” said Huskies head coach Trent Mason. “We saw that how some of our first year middles this weekend did tremendous.
“We still have to improve on our consistency where we are giving away three or four points at a time. The best part of these close games is that they will go a long way as it shows we can come back when down and also close out the games."
Huskies Matthew Hebert led the attack with 13 kills while Justin Allcock added 10.
Also contributing a big game was Erik Kuhr with several key kills and a team high four blocks.
“My dad came up after the game and told me I haven’t played that good in two years,” said Kuhr. “The coach gave me a lot of confidence to go out there and be aggressive and play my game.”
Huskies hit the road next weekend to play the Kings Eagles.
Big game for Huskies Erik Kuhr
Huskies V-Ball in the News
Friday, 28 October 2011 06:54
by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMurray TODAY
It's another Keyano College homeopener weekend in the CNRL gymnasium at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre as both the men's and women's Huskies volleyball teams are set to take on the Lethbridge College Kodiaks.
The women's Huskies are up first, taking on the Kodiaks at 6 p.m. tonight and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Huskies are currently 0-2 after losing to Grant MacEwan last weekend, while the Kodiaks split their sets last weekend against Kings and currently hold a 1-1 record.
"We don't have that much information on them. They've got kind of a new team this year, a couple of new players," said Huskies assistant coach Kristy Fewchuk.
"Their middles are obviously going to be a big part of their team. They're going to have a good fight, they did decently last weekend against Kings, and we've played Kings and held our own against them so it should be a good battle."
She added, "But it's important that we show up and execute our game plan that we've been practicing."
Fewchuk believes her team needs to do well on serving and serve-receive if they are going to come away with some victories this weekend.
First-year outside hitter Rianne Virostek, said the team needs to improve on their mistakes last weekend if they are going to win against Lethbridge.
"We need to pass balls and keep our attitudes positive and work as team," said Virostek.
"Last week we didn't play the way we can, but we should be able to beat Lethbridge because their defence isn't supposed to be strong."
The men's team similarly didn't have a great first weekend, but they're ready to work hard against the Kodiaks after a hard week of practice.
The Huskies lost to Grant MacEwan last week, but all matches except one were within two points.
"The only challenge is on our own side; we just need to improve on some things," said men's coach Trent Mason.
"We haven't seen their side, so we'll just worry about our own team for now. We just need to go out and play volleyball and do what we're capable of doing, having our experienced guys showing their veteran presence on the floor."
The men's team is hoping that playing where they practice will give them a home-court advantage this weekend, as they haven't played any games at home yet this year.
The team is thinking that with Lethbridge's long drive and having their players sleeping in their own beds might help them come out on top this weekend.
"Any time someone has to make that drive north instead of us going south, it's a big advantage," said Mason.
"That first night is always crucial when there is a team in a brand new gym for the first day. We'll definitely be looking to take advantage of that."
The men's Huskies will play Lethbridge at 8 p.m. tonight and 3 p.m .on Saturday