EDMONTON, Alta. – The U SPORTS No. 9-ranked Alberta Pandas saw three players record double-digit kills in a stellar 3-1 (25-17, 25-14, 22-25, 31-29) victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies Friday evening at the Saville Centre.
Abby Guezen led Alberta in kills with 13, while Allie Moore showed out in the middle with 12 of her own to go along with an incendiary .688 hitting percentage. Setter Justine Kolody was an efficient conductor all night, finishing with a game-high 46 assists. With the win the Pandas jump to 4-3 on the early season, leapfrogging the 3-4 Huskies.
Taryn Hannah, third in the Canada West in kills-per-set, paced the visitors with a game-high 14 kills, but the Huskies were unable to overcome some early game struggles to come back in this one.
The first two sets were all Pandas, as Kolody and the attack were incredibly efficient and truly dominated the game at the line. They held the Huskies to 17 and 14 points respectively in the first two frames as their defence held strong, and they hit a cumulative .488 to cruise out to a 2-0 lead.
However, led by Hannah and a more balanced attack, the Huskies re-energized in the third and fourth sets. The third was a true display of grit for the visitors, as they scored three straight points from a 22-22 game to force another frame.
Finally, the fourth set was likely some of the best volleyball either side has played all year, as the Huskies came back from a 24-19 deficit to rip off six straight points to put the Pandas on the brink. However, Guezen would not be denied in extra points as she recorded three of her team-high 13 kills en route to a lengthy 31-29 fourth frame set and game win for Alberta.