MVB: Huskies Defeat Cascades in Four

SASKATOON, SK – The Saskatchewan Huskies entered Saturday afternoon’s match hot off Friday night’s sweep over the Fraser Valley Cascades. Still, the Cascades would make the Huskies work for it in game two on Ron & Jane Graham Centre Court at the Physical Activity Complex. The Cascades would take set one, but the Huskies would return to take the following three, winning the game in four. 
 

THE HIGHLIGHTS

• Fraser Valley would take an early lead over the Huskies in set one, being the first to double digits. The Huskies would swing away, but the Cascades put up big blocks to shut down the Huskies quickly. Huskies head coach Sean McKay would call a timeout with the Cascades up 17-9 for his team to regroup. The Cascades would eventually take set one, their first set win of the weekend, 25-14, with a sneaky serve catching the tape falling onto the Huskies’ court. 

• The Huskies would start the set off with a massive block by third-year Emmett Graham to bring back momentum to the Huskies’ game. The Cascades would keep step-in-step with the Huskies, but the Huskies wanted it more, taking the set 25-23 over the Cascades to even the match. 

• Both teams would continue to push in set three, being tied one set apiece. After going almost point for point in the first half of the set, the Huskies would again switch gears in the second half to hold the lead. Noah Opseth would make it 21-15 with a beautiful ace finding its way short on the Cascades court before the Huskies closed out the set 25-17 to take the lead in the match. 

• The third set would follow a similar theme to the first three, with both teams going head-to-head for the first half before the Huskies closed the set. The Cascades continued to push until the very end, but a massive block by Emmett Graham and Lucus Musschoot would put the Huskies at 25-16.
   

THE STATS

• Saskatchewan’s Jefferson Morrow and Emmett Graham would lead the game in kills with 16 each. Jonus Van Huizen would lead Fraser Valley with 12.

• Saskatchewan would have a team kill percentage of 0.287 and the Cascades 0.196.

• The Cascades would have 14 team blocks, and the Huskies would have 9.

• Huskies’ Emmett Graham would lead in digs, getting 15 ball up off the Cascades’ swings. 

THE STANDINGS
The Huskies are 12 and 6 after tonight’s win, ranked fourth in the nation, and 8th in the place seat in the Canada West standings. The loss shifts the Cascades to 5 and 13, ranked 11th in Canada West.
 

THE NEXT ONE
The Huskies are back on the court next weekend in Calgary to take on the Calgary Dinos on February 2nd and 3rd.