The Vikings Women's Volleyball teams are prepped and ready to begin their 2021-22 ACAC regular season campaign on Friday, November 12th in Grande Prairie before their home opener on Sunday, November 14th at Augustana Gym against the Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves.

In what has been a long wait since their last regular season or playoff match, 622 days to be exact, the team is hoping to set off on the right foot, while also putting to use some of the lessons learned from the pandemic.

"We could not be more excited to play meaningful volleyball this season," says Head Coach Steve Enright. "We have continued to learn about patience and gratitude during the long lay-off, which we hope will be helpful as we get going."

Most notable about the roster this year is the amount of young talent who are ready to make a splash in the league, helping elevate the play on the court as the season plays on.

"Heading into the year, we have a relatively inexperienced squad this year," says Enright. "Therefore, we are looking to make gains each and every week. We feel these small gains will add up to being ACAC and CCAA contenders in the end"

You can catch all Vikings regular-season action on ACAC TV or you can request home game tickets at govikings.ca

Looking Back

During the 2019-20 season, the Vikings had one of their most successful seasons to date when they secured first place in the north division after going on a 16 game win streak after a back-and-forth start to the season. They finished the season with an impressive 20-4 record.

To top it off, Enright was also named the 2019-20 ACAC Women's Volleyball Coach of the Year (North), while current Vikings athlete Sarah Dedrick was named to the ACAC All-Conference team. 

Players to Watch

Entering her fourth season with the Vikings, veteran settler Sarah Dedrick will be looking to continue her success on the ACAC court this year. Dedrick finished the 2019-20 season with 536 assistants and150 digs in 21 matches played.

Second-year Emily Peterson will begin plotting to build off her solid rookie year, which saw her finish with seven kills, 19 digs, and four blocks.

Rookie Kyra Rawlusyk will be making her ACAC regular-season debut this weekend. The Red Deer native was a strong outside hitter for Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School.

Female Apprenticeship Coach

2020 graduate and former Vikings captain, Rae Metrunec will be joining the bench as an assistant coach after a successful application into the CCAA Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP). 

The FACP, which is funded by Sport Canada, is designed to identify and support female graduating student-athletes who demonstrate the desire and skills for coaching by providing them opportunities to share in the coaching experience in CCAA sports.