MVB: Wesmen defeat the Cougars to advance to semi-final

Box Score CALGARY – The Wesmen will keep on dancing.

The No. 7 University of Winnipeg Wesmen men’s volleyball team completed the improbable upset of the No. 2 Mount Royal University Cougars with a 3-0 (25-27, 22-25, 22-25) sweep in game three of the Canada West Quarter Final.

The nerves of a winner-takes-all match three looked to be getting the best of both sides. Service and attack errors were detrimental early.

Mount Royal gained a sizable cushion midway through the first set. Their game plan was simple: feed Chris Byam.

After hammering down 24 kills in game two, Byam recorded 16 on Sunday.

Despite Byam’s first set success, the Wesmen pushed back. Isaiah Olfert continued to be the go-to option for Winnipeg on offence. On defence, Jaxon Rose and Paxton Koop combined for a huge block on Byam to shift the momentum. 

The Wesman climbed all the way to push the score beyond 25. Against all odds, Winnipeg would take the first set 27-25.

In the second, the Wesmen got even more aggressive on offence and Mount Royal couldn’t handle it. Winnipeg was firmly in the driver’s seat with the Cougars scrambling to find answers.

“We always want to be the aggressors,” said Wesmen setter Alex Krykewich. “Attacking the ball, going after the block and not shying away. I think it showed with how many kills our left sides had today.”

MRU struggled significantly in the serving battle, committing six service errors in the second set alone. The inconsistent play from the home team led the Wesmen to take a 2-0 set lead.

With the finish line in sight, Krykewich and the Wesmen needed a complete team effort to reach their destination. 

“We had guys come off the bench for huge blocks, huge digs,” said Krykewich. “Everyone’s contributing and that’s the way it’s been all year.”

Cougars’ senior Jacob van Geel gave his squad life with a couple of massive kills to bring the fans to their feet. 

Unfortunately for Mount Royal, the Wesmen would not be shaken by comeback efforts. Winnipeg rallied to complete the three-set sweep and secured the 2-1 series win.

Despite being the underdogs against a skilled MRU team, the Wesmen were not fazed. The seven-seed will need that same mindset as they advance to the semifinals to take on the Trinity Western Spartans.

“[Mount Royal] was the best team we’ve played all year. Obviously, we’re happy we beat them but it’s an interesting year in Canada West. They were the second-ranked team, we’re seventh and they only had two more wins than us,” explained Krykewich. “We didn’t feel like we were significant underdogs, but it feels great to beat a team of their calibre.

The Wesmen’s run will continue next weekend as they visit the No. 3 Spartans in Langley.