Trojans put bow on sweep of Rattlers
CALGARY, ALTA., (Nov. 24, 2018) — The SAIT Trojans men's volleyball team one-upped themselves.
Twenty-four hours after winning in four sets over the Medicine Hat College Rattlers, the Trojans did it in three, winning 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 26-24) in their Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) game played inside SAIT's Campus Centre.
"We were a little lower on energy tonight, but the guys executed at a high level," said Trojans head coach Sean McKay. "Our passing continued to improve throughout the match, and that allowed us to take advantage of some players who were clicking for us."
SAIT moves to 8-4 on the year, while the Rattlers fall to 6-6.
"These wins this weekend puts a little bit of a gap between us and fourth place (final playoff spot)," McKay added. "It's still going to be a dogfight though. There are 12 games left for each team, so we can't count our chickens before they hatch. We have to make sure we are taking care of business."
With just one weekend left in the first semester of play, McKay's Trojans will focus on closing out the first half strong when they take on the Olds College Broncos for a pair of games — Friday in Olds, Saturday at home.
"The guys are quite a high right now, but we have to remember that next weekend is still another chance for us to get better," he said. "Hopefully, we use the momentum gained tonight to help us go into the Christmas break with another four points in our pocket."
In the game, the sets were all pretty tightly contested. SAIT, who made a habit of staying calm after 20 points last season when they won the ACAC title, showed a bit of that magic on Saturday to close out the Rattlers.
Jarrett Noel (2nd year, Calgary, Geographic Information Systems) led the Trojans with 16 kills, while Tyler Latu'ila (4th year, Auckland, New Zealand) had an all-around solid game, recording 10 kills, five digs, three service aces and a block.
"Tyler has been working hard to get back to being the Tyler we know," stated McKay. "He's playing with a lot more confidence lately, and that's what we need from him."
Alfred Dalevik led the Rattlers with 11 kills.
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