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Rattlers volleyball teams continue to spiral, swept by Clippers

Jan 13, 2018 | 4:47 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A strong message from the Medicine Hat College Rattlers men’s volleyball team coaching staff, following a sweep at the hands of Briercrest Clippers.

The Rattlers fell in straight sets to Briercrest, losing their sixth straight game after starting the year with a 9-1 record.

Briercrest took advantage of a number of Rattlers errors in the opening set to win 25-17, while the second set was closer with the Clippers picking up a 25-22 win.

The same couldn’t be said for the third set though, as the Clippers dominated the Rattlers with extended runs and kills to take the final set easily 25-13.

Chad Sieben was named player of the game for the Rattlers, racking up 14 assists and five digs in the loss.

Rattlers head coach Mark Porter decided that two games in less than 24 hours wasn’t enough to motivate his club, bringing the players back onto the court immediately following the match for a full practice.

“I don’t they’re hungry enough, I don’t think they’re willing to do what it takes to win, they’re not willing to sacrifice,” said Porter. “They need to make every ball the most important ball of the match, and they’re not doing that.”

It’s been a fall from grace recently for Medicine Hat College, now holding a 9-7 record on the season and being passed by the Clippers for second in the ACAC South Division.

Porter said it’s a message to his team that their play over the last few weeks hasn’t been up to snuff.

“Losing isn’t acceptable, it isn’t satisfactory for me and it shouldn’t be satisfactory for them,” he said. “These guys have an expectation to win, so they need to put the extra effort and time in to get to that. Obviously, what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked, we’ve lost six in a row.”

The Rattlers women’s team meanwhile was also in action on Saturday, hosting Briercrest for a rematch after dropping Friday’s meeting in three straight sets.

Briercrest took an early 12-5 lead in the opening set, though the Rattlers were able to rally off three straight points to close the Clippers lead to four.

A handful of blocks by Briercrest proved to be the difference in the first set however, with the Clippers holding on 25-16 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Rattlers came out with a better second set, trading points with the Clippers to tie the game at 18-18 late, though Briercrest proved to be too much again and pulled off a 25-22 win.

As for the third set, the Rattlers and Clippers duelled with a number of lengthy rallies, with Briercrest pulling away late to win 25-23 and sweep Medicine Hat.

Paige Burton had a team-high six kills for the home side, while libero Shaya Suchy posted 13 digs in the defeat.

Dropping their sixth game in a row as well, the Rattlers now hold a record of 4-12 on the season for a sixth place showing in their division.

Both Rattlers teams will look to get back on track next weekend, as they face the Lethbridge College Kodiaks for a home-and-home series, which begins Friday night at Medicine Hat College.