Lions End Eagles’ 6-Game Win Streak

            The Ambrose Lions came into Saturday's matchup against The King's University Eagles hot on the heels of a strong win over Concordia Friday night. With a win, TKU would be able to take sole possession of first place in the ACAC North after winning their previous six.

            Ambrose came on strong to start the opening set, going up 7-3. The Eagles, however, were unfazed and slowly made their way back into it. After trading scores for a while, the set was tied late, but the Lions rattled off a few points in a row to gain enough of a lead to close out the set 25-22.

            Again, the Lions jumped out of the gate to start the second set going quickly up 4-0, but shortly after went ice cold. The Eagles swiftly turned the tides, scoring on seven straight serves to take back control. Ambrose would try to answer out of a timeout that iced the server, but as soon as the Eagles regained possession they quickly went on another run. What was once a 5-1 lead for the Lions was now a 16-10 edge for the Eagles. Once they were in control, the Eagles just played solid defense, trading out points to close out the set with a 25-19 edge.

            Going into the third set, the trend of early Lions offense continued, securing themselves a 5-0 lead. From there the teams traded runs, but at 16-10 the Lions were still firmly in control of the set. Eagles hitter and player of the game Tanner Piers turned up the pressure as the Eagles scored three straight to force a Lions timeout. Scoring more of his match high 22 kills to bring the set to a draw at 22-22. From there, Ambrose kept their composure and scored the final three to win the set 25-22.

            Entering the fourth set with a 2-1 edge, Ambrose's Joshua Nickel had first serve. Thanks to an early ace and other strong play the Lions took another early 4-0 lead. The Eagles were able to respond, however, and brought it back to a tie at 7-apiece. The Lions responded with another run of their own to take a 15-9 lead. The Eagles were able to get within two, but Ambrose wouldn't crack. The Lions called a late timeout to gameplan their closeout, but Noah Verhoef faulted on his match point serve. The Eagles scored two more, but the 16^th and final kill from Lions player of the game #15 Nikita Marchenkov put the game away for good, closing out the fourth and final set 25-22.

            With the win, Ambrose has now won their last three in a row and moves them to 6-4 on the season. They will look to continue their winning ways in two weeks, when they face off against the 2-3 SAIT Trojans.