(RDP Athletics)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Season Opener Oct. 14, 2022

Young Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Volleyball team aims to peak at ACAC Championship

Oct 13, 2022 | 11:09 AM

With a retooled roster, the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Volleyball team are said to be ready to kick off their 2022/2023 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) campaign this weekend.

The Queens are coming off a successful season winning 2021/2022 ACAC Championship gold at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. The RDP Queens also earned a bronze medal at the 2022 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Volleyball National Championship in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

This season, the Red Deer women’s squad is young as they graduated seven players from last year’s group. However, team officials say they have several student-athletes returning to the team this season.

Head Coach Talbot Walton says they have a good blend of experience and depth and now they are looking at the new players to figure out what roles they are going to develop into, including the possibility of becoming a starter.

“We are trying different lineups. We are giving people different looks. Everyone is getting their opportunity because there are a lot of questions and we have to give people the opportunities to find those answers.”

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Walton adds he is very excited about the athleticism of the group of women on this year’s team. He explains they have a lot of size and players that can get off the ground and play at a high height.

However, the veteran coach says the Queens will have to rely more on their defense and serving the ball really well. The Red Deer women’s team will be welcoming back a few veterans to their squad this year which include middle-blocker Sydney Rix, and outside-hitters Jaiden Ferguson, Kira Weddell, and Vanessa Loos (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology). Walton explains these three student-athletes bring a lot of depth and are also looked at for providing leadership for the younger members of the team.

As for recruits this season, the Queens are said to have pushed really hard to fill the libero position for the upcoming season as they lost two of their high-end liberos from last year, including All-Conference libero Kaylee Domoney. In the end, they were able to add Frankie Santini, who was the Olds College Broncos defensive specialist last year.

On top of Santini, Walton was able to recruit three more student-athletes to the 2022/2023 Queens squad and likes their potential.

“Lauren Junck is a local girl who I coached when she was in Grade 7 with my daughters’ team so it is nice to see her make that step. Sarah Mistol played last season with our 18U club team and developed her game and now has made that next step in the game. Lastly, Maria Brouwer is a setter recruit from Calgary. She has a lot of up-side in her game which is well suited for our culture and program as a whole.”

Walton says the first half of the season will be demanding as they face good competition particularly in the north.

The Queens Head Coach wants the student-athletes to continue to grow until the conference championship, which will be hosted at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.

“Our goal every year is to be competitive and compete for a championship at the end of February. Our history is really strong in Queens Volleyball and being in the hunt for a medal is always at the top of our list from a performance aspect.”

The Queens will begin the process of defending their championship this weekend when they travel to Caronport, Saskatchewan to take on the Briercrest College Clippers. The first match is Friday, October 14 at 6 p.m.

On Saturday October 15, the Queens will have a rematch with the Clippers at 1 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ACACTV.

For more information on Red Deer Polytechnic Athletics, including Queens Volleyball, visit rdpolytechathletics.ca.