The MRU Cougars volleyball teams were in Winnipeg last weekend, facing off against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, while the hockey squads travelled to Edmonton to face the University of Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas. Find out more about their performances on the final weekend of the semester below.
WVB: Friday, Nov. 29 vs University of WInnipeg Wesmen
Friday’s women’s volleyball game featured two evenly matched teams; coming into the game, the Cougars and Wesmen both possessed 4-4 records, but Winnipeg came out on top by the end of the night as they handed the Cougars a 1-3 loss. Every set was a closely fought battle, each separated by five points or less. Winnipeg won sets one, three and four, all by a 25-20 margin, while MRU took home a 25-22 second-set victory.
Even though the game ended in four sets, MRU and WInnipeg posted near-identical box score statistics. The Cougars even generated one more attack than the Wesmen, but posted a 15.1 per cent kill rate compared to Winnipeg’s 20.3 per cent. Both teams posted nine aces and eight blocks, but the Wesmen’s defence was the key aspect of their win as they dug out 62 attacks to the Cougars’ 51.
Sydney Scatcherd and Bronwynn Davies-Neira both posted 12 kills, tying each other for a team-high, while Emma Boyd served up six aces. Their offense was supplemented by the return of Lexi Herrod, who dropped 36 dimes in the loss. Mya Morgan showed off her defensive dominance with five blocks and Paige Davidson chipped in 11 digs.
WHKY: Friday, Nov. 29 vs University of Alberta Pandas
The MRU womens’s hockey team travelled to Edmonton for a Friday night face-off against the University of Alberta Pandas. Despite conceding the first goal of the game, the Cougars completed the comeback victory, securing a tough 2-1 shootout victory.
The Pandas drew first blood, scoring just 36 seconds into their first powerplay of the game as Madison Willan found the back of the Cougars net. However, that would be Alberta’s only goal of the game as, in the second period, Kiana McNinch exacted revenge for her squad, scoring from Breanne Comte’s and Jerzey Watteyne’s assists.
That gave the Cougars momentum, helping them out-shoot the Pandas 11-7 in the third period. However, neither team scored in the final period of regulation or overtime, sending the game into a sudden-death shootout. Only one skater scored as Aliya Jomha beat goaltender Grace Glover to win the game for her team.
The Cougars women’s hockey team will face the University of Calgary Dinos for the second Crowchild Classic weekend of the season at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 at Flames Community Arena and live on Canada West TV.
MVB: Friday. Nov. 29 vs University of Winnipeg Wesmen
The MRU Cougars men’s volleyball team had a tough assignment last weekend, taking on the undefeated University of Winnipeg Wesmen on the road. Despite winning the first set of the match, MRU could not defeat the 8-0 Wesmen, losing 1-3 at Duckworth Centre.
The Cougars sprinted out of the gates with energy, winning the first set 25-23 thanks to their efficient 37.5 per cent kill rate. However, MRU conceded losses in the next three sets, losing 21-25, 14-25 and 22-25 on their way to a 1-3 match loss. The Cougars out-blocked the Wesmen 14-5 and posted a slightly better kill percentage, but had trouble with serve receptions, conceding 12 aces.
Ryan John was on fire all night, leading the team with 17 kills, while Grant Hill dropped a team-high 33 dimes and seven digs. Jovan Stepanovic, Aidan Roberts and Cody Hudson all served up an ace each, while Roberts and John both posted six blocks.
MVB: Saturday, Nov. 30 vs University of Winnipeg Wesmen
After playing the final Cougars game of the night on Friday, MRU’s men’s volleyball team had a quick turnaround as they faced the Wesmen at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. Winnipeg was keyed in all morning, sweeping the Cougars 3-0 and maintaining their undefeated streak of 10 consecutive matches.
After losing the first set 15-25, MRU entered the second set with a vengeful mindset, putting up a serious offensive onslaught as they scored 11 kills on a 29.4 per cent efficiency rate. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Wesmen scored two more kills on their way to a close 25-23 second-set victory. The third set was more akin to the first, with Winnipeg posting 12 kills on a 47.6 per cent efficiency rate en route to a 25-16 set win and 3-0 match win.
Hudson led the Cougars’ offense with eight kills while Roberts remained on fire with his serves, scoring a team-best two aces. Stepanovic, Hill and Hudson tied for a team-high two blocks and Hill dropped a team-leading 23 assists. Matthew Clements locked down the defensive digging effort, leading the team with six digs in the loss.
The MRU Cougars men’s volleyball team will take on the Brandon University Bobcats on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 at 1 p.m. on Kenyon Court and live on Canada West TV as they look to end their eight-game losing streak.
WVB: Saturday, Nov. 30 vs University of Winnipeg Wesmen
The Cougars women’s volleyball team were looking for revenge in their early-afternoon matchup against the Wesmen on Saturday and, after a tightly contested five-set bout, found it with a 3-2 match victory in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg came out as the dominant force early in the match, winning the first set 25-17. MRU took the next two sets by identical 25-23 scorelines, taking a 2-1 lead in sets. The fourth set was closely fought, requiring extra points as Winnipeg won 26-24 to tie the game at 2. In the shortened fifth set, the Cougars brought home the victory by way of a 15-13 set win, taking home a 3-2 match win and moving to 5-5 on the season.
Scatcherd was white-hot once again, leading the game with 17 kills, while Herrod’s playmaking shined as she dropped a whopping game-high 53 dimes. Boyd served up a game-best three assists while Mya Morgan led the game with nine blocks. Aurora Bentrim posted a team-high 12 digs in MRU’s final victory of the fall semester.
The Cougars will host the Brandon University Bobcats on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 at 11 a.m. on Kenyon Court and live on Canada West TV.
MHKY: Saturday, Nov. 30 vs University of Alberta Golden Bears
The Cougars men’s hockey team travelled to Edmonton to face off against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Despite scoring in the second and third periods, MRU could not muster up a win, taking a tough 2-5 loss on the road in their final game of the semester.
Alberta came out with strength, scoring three goals in the first period. Down 0-3, Josh Tarzwell finally put his Cougars on the board as he scored 49 seconds into the second period on the powerplay off of Justin Lies’s and Clay Hanus’s assists. Jayden Wiens followed suit in the third period, scoring off Remy Aquilon’s feed. With the scoreline at 2-3, Alberta seized momentum once again, scoring the final two goals of the game to hand MRU a 2-5 loss.
The Cougars will face the University of Calgary Dinos in the second Crowchild Classic matchup of the season on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 at 7 p.m. at Father David Bauer Arena and live on Canada West TV.