BRANDON, Man. – Volleyball fans were expecting a battle between the Bobcats and Huskies Friday night as two of the top teams were set to square off.
Someone forgot to tell the Bobcats however, as the home side steamrolled Saskatchewan in straight sets.
The Bobcats served well and played tremendous defence to pick up 25-20, 25-22, 25-20 set scores.
Philipp Lauter had a match-high 12 kills and just three errors to go with an ace and three blocks.
Lauter’s ace concluded the second set, sending the 610 fans in attendance into a frenzy, which wasn’t dulled until well after match point just 20 minutes later.
Tom Friesen continued his torrid pace of late, as the sophomore outside finished with 10 kills and just two errors.
Jens Watt was outstanding on defence putting up a team-high six digs while J.J. Love ran a smooth offence, finishing with 24 assists and five kills.
The Huskies were led by Dylan Mortensen’s team-high 10 kills.
The win is Brandon’s third in a row and makes the Bobcats winners of six out of seven matches so far in 2023.
Both teams share identical 12-7 records making Saturday’s rematch even more interesting.
The winner will hold sole possession of fourth place in the Canada West conference standings as the playoff season approaches.
The top four teams host the first round.
First serve in Saturday’s match is set for 6:45 p.m. back at the Healthy Living Centre.