Bears flip the script, best the Cougars in four

EDMONTON – Fourth-year Golden Bear Jordan Canham ripped home a match-high 15 kills, while also setting a new Alberta record in a bounce back 3-1 Alberta win over Mount Royal.
 
Canham finished with 15 kills on just 27 attempts, adding a team-high eight digs and two aces. He also set a new Bears record for aces in a single season, recording his 42^nd in the third set, breaking the previous record of 41 set by Max Elgert in 2020.
 
Isaac Heslinga added 13 kills for Alberta (20-2), who rallied back after losing four consecutive sets to Mount Royal, including the last three in Friday night’s loss, and the opening set on Saturday. The win also clinches the No. 1 seed in Canada West for the Bears.
 
After a 23-kill performance on Friday night, Cougars outside Chris Byam managed just 10 kills on 30 swings on Saturday, with Jacob Van Geel adding nine. The Cougars committed 23 attack errors and 18 service errors in a sloppy Saturday performance.
 
Blowing a 2-0 lead the night previous, Alberta came out flat on Saturday. The Bears finished with just four kills on 25 attempts, committing nine attack errors in the first.
 
Both teams combined for 19 attack errors and nine service errors in the opening set, with the Cougars finishing with 10 kills, adding 11 team digs. Each Max Haronga and Van Geel with as many kills individually as the Bears did as a team.
 
Alberta turned in a completely opposite second set, hammering home 12 kills on 25 attempts without committing a single error. The Bears also stepped up their defence, recording 11 team digs and a pair of blocks.
 
Canham set the ace record with the second point of the third set, before scoring six kills himself in the third. Alberta also added 17 team digs in the set, as MRU struggled to find the floor with consistency.
 
Having taken control of the moment, Alberta cruised in the fourth, scoring 16 kills on just 21 attempts in a 25-20 win.
 
Alberta will have a bye next weekend, while Mount Royal will host the Brandon Bobcats.