The Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s volleyball team finished off the first half of its regular season with a perfect 12-0 record.

The Kodiaks took care of the Olds College Broncos in both matches they played over the weekend, winning each by a decisive 3-0 score.

“We were able to get a lot of our young guys in [the games] this weekend and still allow our older guys to compete… it was a good weekend for us,” says Greg Gibos, head coach of the men’s squad.

Those two games were a microcosm of the entire regular season to this point for the team. The men’s team has only been to five sets in two games this year.

The Kodiaks’ dominance has been noticed on a national scale. This Tuesday, the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association ranked the Kodiaks second in the nation for men’s volleyball.

Assistant coach Matt Hemmerling says while the recognition was nice, it doesn’t change how the team approaches each week.

“This group doesn’t care as much about the results as they do about getting better as a collective group,” Hemmerling explains. “Winning is just a by-product of that.”

The team has enjoyed huge production from their veterans. Carter Hansen and Zak Wikenheiser are among the conference leaders in kills and assists.

Meanwhile, Dax Whitehead just eclipsed the 1,000 kill mark for his career, with the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference all-time record in sight.

Not only are the veterans leading the way on the court, but it’s rubbing off on the younger players too.

“It’s not only important for us to build for the rest of this year, but to build for the future too,” says Gibos.

First-year libero Malcolm Fisher says his teammates’ leadership has taught him about the mental side of the game as well.

“They keep it really high-energy and it keeps everyone up instead of weighing others down,” he explained. “At the end of the day it’s a team effort.”

The team-first mentality has meant the younger players have also made an impact.

“Everyone has had to step up, even the rookies. When we call upon them, they pull through for everybody,” says Hemmerling.

With their next game over a month away, the mood was light around practice this week, even if the intensity remained the same.

“We will continue to work on skills, but we’ll be having a lot of fun the next couple weeks with finals coming up,” remarked Gibos. “Everyone is looking forward to spending time with their families and we’ll get back into it when school starts.

The Kodiaks will begin the second half of the regular season on Jan. 10 when they host Medicine Hat college for a weekend doubleheader. Game time is 8 p.m.,