Bears advance on heels of dominant 3-0 Game 3 victory over Bisons

EDMONTON – The Bears are heading to the Canada West Semifinals after a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-14) Game 3 victory over the Manitoba Bisons Saturday night at the Saville Centre.

It was the deciding game in a previously 1-1 tied series; an amazing one at that which had gone to five sets each of the previous two nights. With the victory, the Bears move on to host the winner of the Saskatchewan Huskies and UBC Thunderbirds series in the CW semifinals. The TBirds won game one, but are losing game two at time of this publication.

“Today, we just carried forward that underdog mentality that we found last night in the fifth set,” said Alberta captain Grayden Wiebe following the victory. They have now won four straight sets by an average margin of seven points.

Third-year Bear Isaac Heslinga was sensational again, recording a team-high 19 kills, 2.5 total blocks, and eight digs. He was joined in the win by fourth-year middle Billy Johnstone who was a key force at the net, recording a game-high 3.5 total blocks and added five kills himself.

Southpaw outside hitters Eric Ogaranko and Karil Dadash Adeh impressed for the visitors, each recording 12 kills. Ogaranko added five digs, while Dadash Adeh had an ace.

The Bears came out cooking in the first set, jumping to an early lead and cruising the rest of the way on the back of strong two-way play. They hit an incredibly strong .421 in the frame, and while Manitoba did hit .333 themselves, the Bears were able to record three total blocks, 1.5 of which came from Billy Johnstone. Heslinga was key down the stretch, recording two kills and an ace to lead the Bears to a 25-21 victory. The Bisons were paced by Ogarenko, the set leader in kills with six, and Dadash Adeh who had five of his own.

The second frame was much closer, the squads fighting inch-by-inch to a 15-15 midset scoreline. There were 14 tie scores and seven lead changes in the set, but that all happened early, as the Bears took the wheel from the halfway point on with a 4-0 run that eventually led to a 25-20 victory. Heslinga was again a massive contributor for the home side, recording an astounding set-high nine kills, while Dadash Adeh paced the visitors with five. They hit .393 in the set, and held the Bisons to a .192 mark of their own.

As had happened the previous two games, the Bears went into the third with a 2-0 lead. While previously they played a fifth set in games one and two, they took control in this contest to ensure advancement. They were sensational in the final set, winning by a dominant margin of 25-14, which included three service aces, all from setter Sam Drybrough, and a .733 attacking percentage that overwhelmed the Bisons defence. Heslinga recorded a set-high seven kills, while Jacob Sargeant was also an offensive force recording three.

As for what’s next, the Bears return to Saville to host the semi finals next weekend. The key for the Bears to be successful; Wiebe prescribes more of the same.

“Moving forward, we just have got to keep that [mentality] going. Every team in the playoffs is really good, so it’s just all about finding our identity and playing together.”