Guezen, Knappett lead Pandas to thrilling win over Manitoba

HAMILTON, ON – U SPORTS Rookie of the Year Abby Guezen tied a program record with 33 kills, leading the fourth-seeded Pandas to a thrilling 3-2 win over the top seed Manitoba Bisons in the U SPORTS Semifinal on Saturday night at McMaster. 

The win sends the Pandas to their first national final since 2018, where they will meet either the UBC Thunderbirds or Acadia Axewomen. The Pandas fought off three Manitoba match points in the fifth set, coming back to win 18-16. The 2024 U SPORTS Final is set for 4:00 p.m. MT on Sunday. 

“That was quite the ride. A really good battle for two and a half hours, and I couldn’t be more proud of our group for just sticking with every point, and never thinking we were out of that match.” said Carolyn O’Dwyer, who will lead the Pandas to the U SPORTS Final in her first season as head coach of the Pandas. 

Saturday’s semifinal was a back-and-forth thriller, with the team’s alternating set wins for the entirety of the match. Lauryn Tremblay added 11 kills for the Pandas, who finished with 66 total on the match. Justine Kolody had a career-high 55 assists, with Tremblay and Laila Johnston comining for 32 digs for good measure. 

“It’s always fun playing the Bisons, we know they are always going to show up,” said Pandas libero Kalysta Knappett, who finished with 34 digs, the third most in Pandas history for a single match. “They have some amazing hitters, and somtimes you have to be desperate to get a ball up, even just a foot off the floor.” 

Manitoba, the Canada West Champion and tournament’s #1 seed, will now play for bronze on Sunday afternoon. 

The Pandas, thanks to their strong passing and serve receive, were tremendously efficient in the first set. Five different Pandas finished with multiple kills, led by five from Guezen. As a team, the Pandas had 16 kills and just four attack errors in the first set, finishing with a .343 attack percentage. A Misha Hameed service run helped secure a 25-21 first set win. 

The Canada West Champion Bisons flipped the script in the second set, scoring 19 kills in a 25-21 set win. Surinx led Manitoba with five kills, as they Bisons as a team finished with a staggering .630 attack percentage. Despite another efficient attack from the Pandas, which saw Guezen add another six kills, their block defence was unable to contain Manitoba. 

The Pandas well-rounded offence and defence returned in the third, as they jumped ahead 19-12 over the Bisons. 15 kills on just 38 attempts, with only one attack error led to a 25-18 Alberta third set win. 

The rollercoaster match continued in the fourth. Strong serving from Manitoba caused offensive issues for Alberta, who finished with 13 kills and nine attack errors. Seven of those 13 kills came off the arm of Guezen, who had 26 through four sets. Manitoba did also add five blocks in the fourth, committing four fewer attack errors, and four fewer service errors. 

Trailing 8-5 at the side switch in the fifth set, the Pandas ripped off three straight points to tie the match at 8-8. Manitoba was able to restore a late lead, having match points at 14-13, 15-14, and 16-15, all fought off by Alberta. 

Seven of Guezen’s 33 kills came in the fourth set, including a massive swing at 16-15 to extend the match. A Johnston service ace, followed by a Bisons service error ended the match for Alberta.