Posted: Mar 21, 2024

Ambrose Lions Women's Volleyball 2023-24 Season Recap

Calgary AB | Women's Volleyball 2023-24 Season

Ambrose Lions Women's volleyball finished their 2023-24 season with an ACAC Championship Silver Medal, making history for Ambrose Women's Volleyball. In the regular season the finished with being #1 in the South and an impressive 15-4 record.

The year started off with a bang. The team got together Aug 24. and headed south to Texas to train and play some exhibition games. "Starting the year with a trip like this, is an instant team building experience. We had lost a couple of key players from the previous year, so it was good having this time for our team to really bond." Says Head coach, Barry Heidebrecht.

Going into the regular season, the Lions had a full roster including some 5^th year experienced players, in Willow Lewington and Lauren Huntley, "I was confident this was going to take our team to another level. When you add experienced players, you always hope that the younger players take the opportunity to learn and grow from them." Notes Heidebrecht.

The Lion's first semester had a lot of games against some of the top teams, and they went 6-3. Entering the second semester with straight wins in exhibition, the team was looking to lock in first place and go to championships. Which is exactly what they did, late January, they locked in a ticket to championships. The whole team worked together and pushed hard for this accomplishment. Some players to note were Willow Lewington, South Division Player of the Year and Rachel Barg. "Under the tutelage of Jarvis Karchewski - Asst Coach, Rachel has become a student of the game. Rachel directed our offence and led the team to a first place finish in the south and a silver medal at Provincials." Says Heidebrecht.

The Lions headed off to Lethbridge College for championships. They opened the weekend in quarter finals against Keyano College and beat them 3-0 to put them into the semi finals where they took on the Briercrest clippers. This game was a nail biter as the lions opened up the match being down 0-2 to the Clippers, but they were narrowing the gap as each set progressed. Heidebrecht says this was a monumental game for the lions; "This game was a highlight for the girls as they fought their way back and won the fifth set in a deciding 15-4 victory" he says. The Lions went on to the finals taking on the reigning national champs and ended their season with a silver medal, making history for the women's volleyball program at Ambrose.

Looking into next year, and with achieving the Silver Medal, the women are hoping to stay hungry and keep pushing for the allusive Gold Medal. The team will loose 4 key players this year, but there are a lot of players that have waited for their opportunity to step up. Along with some new recruits coming in, the team is still shooting for gold. "I feel we will be just fine. There will be an adjustment period, sliding some new players into the lineup, but we will be good." Notes Heidebrecht

The lions are starting their off-season with getting in the gym and signing recruits. The coaches are looking to push each other to challenge and improve the program and reach for championships once again, the following season.

Season Summary