No. 6 Fraser Valley takes Saturday win over Cougars

QUICKLY
The University of Regina’s women’s volleyball team lost in three sets to No. 6-ranked Fraser Valley on Saturday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• UFV took control of the first set with a five-point run with Gabrielle Attieh at the service line, which turned a tie into a 17-12 lead for the visitors. Fraser Valley closed out the set with four straight points, with the final two both coming on blocks, to take the opener by a 25-17 count.
• Four kills by Mo Likness helped Fraser Valley charge out to a 9-4 lead in the second set to force an early timeout by the Cougars. Regina got to within two points on four occasions after that, but UFV kept control each time and took the second by a 25-20 margin.
• The third set was the most hotly contested of the night, featuring 12 tie scores and 3 lead changes. Fraser Valley took the lead for good with a 4-1 run late in the set, ending up with a 25-22 win after a kill by setter Cailin Bitter and a Regina attack error on the final two points of the match.

NOTES

• UFV’s trifecta of Attieh sisters combined for 34 of the team’s 44 kills in the win. Gabrielle Attieh had a match-high 14 kills while Lauren Attieh and Talia Attieh all had 10 for the Cascades, who improve to 11-3 on the season. Talia’s 10 kills came with just 1 error on 17 attacks, giving her a match-leading .529 hitting percentage.
• Bailey Balaberda and Claire Sheppard both led the Cougars with seven kills. Sheppard and Devyn Grimsrud were Regina’s most efficient hitters on the night, with the two middles combining for 13 kills and a .480 hitting percentage.
• Cassadi Klapak had 24 assists and a team-leading 9 digs for Regina.

NEXT UP
The Cougars will now hit the the road for two consecutive weekends. They’ll play at Brandon next Friday and Saturday before taking on provincial rival Saskatchewan on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 in Saskatoon.