EDMONTON – Three players reached double-digits in kills for the Alberta Pandas as they defeated the University of Calgary Dinos women’s volleyball team 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-14) on Saturday night at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
Allie Moore (12), Abby Guezen (11), Laila Johnston (10) each piled up the kills in the straight sets match and helped Alberta extend their win streak to seven games.
The Pandas are now 7-3 on the season, while the Dinos fall to 2-6.
Despite dropping a three-set match on Friday, Calgary appeared to build some momentum with strong performances in the second and third sets. The young Dinos squad battled but ran into another efficient offensive outing by the Pandas, who finished with a .340 hitting percentage.
Calgary’s outsider hitters kept the first set close in the early stages, with Sophia Hansen and Dominique Desautels finding spots in the Alberta floor. Holding a mere one-point edge at 8-7, the Pandas then took over. The home team scored 12 of the next 13 points to establish a convincing 20-8 lead and eventually take the opener.
The Pandas’ balanced attack allowed them to build a solid lead out of the gate in the second set. The Dinos’ attack found its rhythm in the middle of the second and leaned on their star rookie Hansen as they tried to trim the deficit. With the score at 19-13 Alberta, the Pandas went on a 6-0 run to complete the second set.
Alberta kept their scoring run going in the third set as they quickly compiled a 7-1 lead. Errors at the service line prevented Calgary from building any runs of their own, while the Pandas’ trio of Moore, Guezen, and Johnston did most of the damage to wrap up the match.
Completing her first weekend of Canada West volleyball in her hometown, Hansen collected eight kills and posted a solid .238 hitting percentage.
The Dinos will play the final weekend of the first half at home when they welcome the UBC Okanagan Heat to the Jack Simpson Gym, Nov. 29-30.
Alberta will visit the Brandon Bobcats next weekend.