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Rattlers shock undefeated Clippers, erase two set deficit

Nov 17, 2018 | 10:34 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A stunner at the ‘Snake Pit’ on Friday for the Medicine Hat College Rattlers women’s volleyball team, knocking off one of Alberta’s top clubs at home.

Trailing by two sets to the undefeated Briercrest Clippers, the Rattlers dug deep to take three straight sets and shock Briercrest in a five-set marathon (19-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-13).

Medicine Hat was handed a blow midway through the opening set, with setter Jennifer Saj hitting the floor awkwardly and going off with a leg injury.

That didn’t slow down the Rattlers though with both sides tied 15-15, however the Clippers were able to go on a late run to take the opening set 25-19.

Briercrest came into the second set with back-to-back points, kicking off a dominant performance in the set by extending their lead to 18-9. A late charge from Medicine Hat did little to change the outcome of the set, with the Clippers earning a 25-18 win.

Facing elimination, the Rattlers tried to hold off a Clippers charge and were able to hold at least a two-point lead for much of the set before finishing things off late to climb back into the match with a 25-19 victory.

Mckenzie Griffith held the hot hand in the fourth set as her serving got the Rattlers out to a 7-1 lead, but a Clippers timeout would halt the run and give Briercrest a chance to come back.

With the score tied at 23-23, a Briercrest missed serve gave the Rattlers a window to force a fifth set, which was capitalized upon following a lengthy rally to hand Medicine Hat a 25-23 win.

Medicine Hat’s hitters came through in the fifth set, with Brooke Christie and Amber Stigter executing two straight kills late to give the Rattlers the match victory in thrilling fashion.

Shaya Suchy was honoured following the game for setting Medicine Hat College’s record last weekend with her 821st career dig, while she added another 28 digs to her total on Friday.

The Rattlers attack was led by Janelle Neyron and her 16 kills, with Christie coming in second place on her squad with 12 kills.

Winning their third straight game to send Briercrest to an 8-1 record, the Rattlers hold the fourth best record in the South Division at 6-3.

It was a good evening on home court for the Rattlers men’s volleyball team as well, ending a three game slide in four sets (25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 25-19) over the Clippers.

Trailing by seven points early in the first set, Medicine Hat was able to rebound masterfully against Briercrest to hold off the Clippers by three points.

The Rattlers changed things up in the second set by earning the first two points, a lead they never squandered to win 25-21 over Briercrest.

In the third set, the Rattlers struggled with errors and sloppy play as they were unable to finish off the Clippers, losing a 25-20 decision and giving Briercrest some life.

Medicine Hat dealt with a three-point deficit early in the fourth set, but were able to claw their way back thanks to a mid-set tip from Nikola Sreckovic.

That would be enough momentum for Medicine Hat to take the decisive set, winning 25-19 and finally getting back into the win column in four sets.

Veteran Rattler Alfred Dalevik took home player of the game honours with a team-high 13 kills and eight digs, while Sreckovic and Austyn Ducharme had a dozen digs each.

Moving to a 6-3 mark on the 2018-19 campaign, the Rattlers are tied with the SAIT Trojans for third place in the south with 12 points.

The Rattlers continue their weekend series against the Clippers on Saturday, with the women taking to the court at 1:00 pm, followed by the men’s match at 3:00 pm.