Bears stay perfect with 3-1 win over Manitoba

EDMONTON – Isaac Heslinga scored five of his match-high 16 kills in the fourth and deciding set, leading the U SPORTS #1 ranked Alberta Golden Bears to a 3-1 win over Manitoba on Saturday night.
 
The Bears finished the fourth set with 17 kills, far and away their most of any set in the match. Jacob Sargent added six kills to go along with five from Heslinga and five from Trent Cherewaty in the fourth. The win gives Alberta their fourth win in four matches to start their 24/25 season, while the loss drops Manitoba to 2-4.
 
 Alberta finished the match with 18 more kills than Manitoba, who were led by Kai Boyko’s seven kills. Spencer Grahame added six to the Bisons total. The Bisons did finish with nine fewer attack errors and three fewer service errors, as they were kept alive in the match by mistakes on the part of the Bears. 
 
It was a group effort for the Bears in the opening set, with five different Bears recording at least one kill, led by four from Heslinga. By comparison, all six of the Bisons kills came from Boyko and Grahame, who had three each.
 
Alberta also ripped home six aces in what was a very fast and efficient opening set. Heslinga had two aces himself, to go along with two each from Trent Cherewaty and Owen Harris.
 
In a complete flip of the script, the Bisons cruised to a 25-16 second set win, which saw them ahead by as many as 10. The damage was mostly self-inflicted by the Bears, who committed eight attack errors, seven service errors, and five receiving errors. A late serving run from Jacob Sargent made the score more respectable in the second, which was over as quick as it started.
 
Alberta’s offence returned to form in the third, thanks in large part to six kills on just 10 swings from Heslinga. The Bears had 11 kills as a team in the third, committing just four errors. The third was the closest set of the match to that point, which featured six ties and three lead changes.

The fourth saw the Bears play their best set of the match, scoring 17 kills on 31 attempts. Luke Weddell recorded 14 of his 29 assists in the fourth, as Alberta earned the win with a 25-20 fourth set victory.

Next up for the 4-0 Bears will be a cross-town meeting with MacEwan, hosted by the Griffins.