Historical 2023-24 Lions Men's Volleyball Season

Calgary AB | Men's Volleyball 2023-24 Season 

The Men's volleyball team had a very successful season this year, finishing 4^th place in the ACAC with an impressive 11-8 record, being the best record, thus far, for men's volleyball at Ambrose.

The team had a full roster and was composed of 2 veteran players in their Setter, Emmitt Juul-Hansen and outside hitter, Nikita Marchenkov. The team was full of talent this year with a large bench and multiple players in their second, third and fourth season, playing on the court consistently for the Lions. "The beautiful thing about this team is that we don't depend on one player, we are a team of great players that are exceptional and do the right things needed to win as a team," notes head coach, Jose Caceres

At the beginning of the season, the Lions set out a goal to have a winning record at the end of the year and a step up from their previous season. "Just because we are a small program, doesn't mean we can't do something great each year" says Caceres. Last season ended with an 8-12 record for the Lions, and a 5^th place finish.

The men's team opened their season with some tough matchups and with the playoff format adjusted this season, each game was essential for the Lions. Throughout the season, the Lions had some great games taking on some tough competitors. The Lions were strong against the north teams with a 6-1 record and beat many of those teams, leading to their strong finish this season.

A notable game for the Lions was in there last game against the NAIT OOKS (#2 in the North, regular season). The game was a tight match resulting in a 3-1 victory for the Lions. "This was such a great match to finish the season on," says Caceres "For us, it was a big step for the program and a great year end highlight for the guys" The OOKS went on to win the CCAA National Championship so they were a big team for the Lions to beat.

Some other highlights for the men's team this year included Isaac Karstad receiving an all conference award and two players going over to the USport level for the next year, Matthew Clements and Isaac Karstad.

Jose Caceres hopes to take his team up another step for the coming 2024-25 season and continue to have a winning record, grow as program and develop strong athletes and people.

Season Summary

ACAC awards

Isaac Karstad – All Conference

Ambrose Lions Team Stat Leaders

#15 Nikita Marchenkov – Kills (229)

#17 Isaac Karstad – Hitting Percentage (.571)

#9 Emmitt Juul-Hansen – Assists (622)

#11 Dane Slater – Service Aces (16)

#1 Matthew Clements -Digs (135)