Cougars come out strong but fall short in rematch against Cascades

Box Score Calgary, ALTA  —  The Mount Royal University Cougars women’s volleyball team fell in a rematch against the University of Fraser Valley Cascades 3-1 (21-25, 20-25, 22-25) at Kenyon Court on Saturday night.

Coming back from last night’s game, the Cougars and Cascades found better success at the service line which made for more offensive plays throughout the first set. With a lead of 16-12, the Cascades were gaining success by focusing on attacking the back row of the Cougars. The Cougars did not have third year left side hitter, Sydney Scatcherd, in tonight’s lineup so first year outside hitter, Awien Ngor made her first appearance on Kenyon Court which established an immediate presence as she made an ace off the get go. Match point for the Cascades found Grace Coulter with a big swing to keep the Cougars alive for another rotation. Aurora Bentrom would then enter as a service substitute for Coulter which would later lead to a big block from Emma Boyd to continue extending the Cougars into this set. The Cougars would fall in the first set 25-21 as Cascades’ Mandi Feist delivered a fast ball straight into the back row to end the set.

After dropping the first set, the Cougars found themselves struggling as the Cascades’ service aces provided an early lead into the second set. However, the Cougars did not let down on themselves as they would capitalize on every free ball at the net, generating optimism, which led to their first lead in the game. This would lead the Cascades to call a timeout as the Cougars found themselves on a run. Both teams would continue battling it out as they exchanged points back and forth but the Cascades remained to keep the lead even after a quick MRU timeout. Despite their efforts, the Cascades’ offensive end would s

Entering the third set, the Cougars had Ngor play for the entire set and Marie Leggett entered as setter, giving Lexi Herrod some rest time before returning back into the game. The Cascades secured an early lead of 5-0 as their offensive swiftness stunned the Cougars until Mya Morgan gained the first point of the set with a powerful hit that landed in the honey hole of the Cascades. Morgan continued to attack the ball to get the Cougars rolling once again. This is where Morgan and Megan Jones would both earn aces, triggering hope for Cougars fans. The Cougars continued to fight their way back into the game as Ngor earned another ace and Boyd sent the ball past the hands of Alicja Hardy-Francis to draw a Cascades timeout at 9-8 for UFV.  After being down 1-7, Boyd and Herrod helped the Cougars to gain its first lead in the third set after a 4-point run which climbed to 12-10. Morgan and Boyd’s offensive efforts found the Cascades scrambling to get underneath, securing a 3-point lead of 20-17 before another Cascades timeout. However, the Cascades’ confidence did not let down as Mo Likness made a huge block that sparked the Cascades to reclaim their lead and ultimately take their second win of the weekend. The third and last set ended 25-22 for the Cascades.

Tonight’s MVP is Awien Ngor for 1 kill, 3 service aces, and 6 digs against the UFV Cascades.

The Cougars will be on the road as they face the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon, SK on Friday, November 1 at 5 p.m. CST.