MVB: Cougars return to Kenyon Court and fluster Griffins with 3-0 match victory

After a four-game road trip, the Mount Royal University Cougars men’s volleyball team (6-4, 6th in CanadaWest) returned to Kenyon Court to sweep the struggling MacEwan University Griffins (0-10, 13th in CanadaWest) in three identically scored sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-23).

Despite being huge underdogs, the Griffins were able to capitalise on a slow Cougars start as their aggressive digging efforts allowed them to stay close to the home team. Chris Byam and Max Haronga made that extremely difficult though as they would combine for 11 of their team’s 17 kills on their way to a 25-23 set victory. Haronga ended the night with a game-high 17 kills and six digs while Byam ended with 15 kills and five digs.

The Griffins kept up their spirits in the second set, but Haronga’s hot hand stayed blazing as his back-to-back kills helped them get off to an early lead. Samson Olsen’s assists were huge in this set, as he floated the ball up for Byam to absolutely murder it. His 30 assists lead the game and outnumbered the Griffin’s 25 assists as the Cougars took another 25-23 set victory.

The third set came down to huge defensive contributions from Byam, Haronga, and Luis Lange as they towered over the Griffins and made block after block. Great serves from Tate Howell and company helped the Cougars’ hitters, but the Griffins responded with their best digging effort of the night. 

Still, even as the teams traded points and tied at 23, the Cougars’ star power shined in the brightest moments as Byam’s back-to-back clutch kills gave them a 25-23 set victory and 3-0 match win. 

Luis Lange took home Cougar of the Game honours for his two-way contributions, ending the night with five kills, three digs, and three blocks.

The Cougars will rematch against the Griffins on Kenyon Court tomorrow at 7 p.m., hoping to extend their win streak to three consecutive games.