EDMONTON – After roaring out to a nearly perfect start, the U SPORTS No. 3 ranked Golden Bears needed to withstand a third-set surge from the MacEwan Griffins, topping their cross-town rivals 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 31-29) on Friday night.
The Bears recorded 14 kills on 16 attacks in the opening set, pacing the way for their seventh win of the season. Alberta now owns a 7-0 conference record, and an 18-0 head-to-head record against MacEwan.
Braedon Friesen led the charge with a game-high 13 kills, adding three aces and two digs. Second-year Bears middle Billy Johnstone opened the match with kills on seven-straight attempts, finishing the night with 11 kills, four total blocks, and a pair of digs.
Jeff Morrow and Alexei Walisser led the visitors with six kills each, with setter Mason Natras totalling 20 assists.
Four Bears finished the first set with a perfect attack record, with Johnstone (5-5), Friesen (4-4), Jacob Deinum (2-2), and Isaac Heslinga (1-1) not missing a single attack. The Bears as a team finished with a .875 attack percentage in the first, winning 25-14.
Friesen was excellent in the second, adding five kills and a block assist. MacEwan made a strong surge in the middle of the second, before the Bears regained their momentum for a 25-18 set win.
Just like the women’s match earlier in the night, the third set was incredibly tight for the men as well. Neither team held a lead of more than two points at anytime in the third. MacEwan was unsuccessful on their three set points, before the Bears ended the match on their second set point, taking the third 31-29.
The two sides will conclude their fall semester schedule tomorrow night, with a 5:00 p.m. first serve start time at Saville.
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