The regular season is a month away but Medicine Hat College’s women’s volleyball team is getting started early.
The Rattlers begin their pre-season tonight in Great Falls, Montana with matches against Carroll College and Montana Tech. They then face Montana State Northern and the University of Providence Saturday.
No other Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference team plays an official exhibition game until Sept. 20 – and even then Medicine Hat will be in action in Camrose at an exhibition event hosted by Augustana.
“It’s nice to go out and play other teams rather than just teams in our league, so I’m excited,” said veteran left side Amber Stigter.
The busy start is aimed at pushing for a long season – one that’s already guaranteed to include a spot at the conference championships. The Rattlers will host ACAC finals at the end of February, but they didn’t qualify for playoffs last year, going 12-12.
Nobody wants to be the host team that gets in with the free entry.
“It’ll be our first one hosted here in a long time,” said Stigter, a fourth-year player.
Stigter has never been to the ACAC post-season, as the team hasn’t made it since Benj Heinrichs was the coach in 2013. Kim Stonehouse inherited a team that went 0-20 the season after Heinrichs left, building a team that now seems poised to make a run regardless of its host status.
The regular season begins Oct. 18. Four of the seven teams in the South Division get post-season spots.
Men’s volleyball
While the women have games this weekend, the Rattlers men’s volleyball team is also quick out of the gate, and they’ve chosen Bow Island as the place to start at.
Medicine Hat will host Lethbridge at the Senator Gershaw school gym Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m., part of a strategy to get out into the community according to head coach Mark Porter.
The team will also play in Medicine Hat Sept. 27, 28 and 29, plus face SAIT in Bassano on Oct. 4.
With plenty of returnees offsetting key losses of Alfred Dalevik and Zach Frank, there’s plenty of optimism the team can get back to the playoffs after missing out by a hair after a 13-11 record last season. That ended a run of six years in a row in the playoffs.
Women’s basketball
Not only will the women’s volleyball team host conference championships next spring, so will the Rattlers women’s basketball team.
After going to nationals in 2017 and coming off an 18-3 record this past season, the team has a fresh look with five returnees and seven rookies.
“Everyone is doing their part so there’s nothing to worry about,” said Paige Cooper, a fourth-year post player. “All the new rookies are very coachable.”
Like the volleyball team, the Rattlers have an early start to the pre-season, facing a Medicine Hat Police Service squad next Friday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Snake Pit. They’ll play an alumni squad the next day.
Their regular season starts Oct. 19 in Calgary.
Men’s basketball
Hometown players should see a bigger role with the men’s basketball team this season, perhaps none more than third-year guard Nick Murschell.
Murschell is excited to see a few other Gas City products coming in as rookies, though some of last year’s stalwarts such as Kieron Burgess and Josh Magpantay are back as well.
“I’m the second-most veteran guy on the team so it’s a big change-up from the last couple years,” said Murschell, whose team has no exhibition games on its official ACAC schedule.
Golf
The Rattlers golf team begins play next weekend and there are some notable additions to the roster this year.
Although three of the four women are back from 2018, the men’s side has added a couple locals and one player who became an ACAC refugee of sorts.
Chase Broderson was the runner-up in the men’s finals last year playing for Red Deer College, which eliminated its golf program earlier this year. Caleb Kinch and Mat Chapdelaine are the new locals.
