WVB: Cougars advance to division playoffs hosted by the University of Saskatchewan

For a consecutive season, the women’s volleyball team has clinched a spot in the Canada West Playoffs. 

Finishing second overall in Canada West’s central division with a 14-4 record and 28 points, the women’s volleyball team will journey to the University of Saskatchewan to compete in the Canada West divisional playoffs. The Saskatchewan Huskies will host the MRU Cougars, University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat and the University of Manitoba Bisons in a round-robin tournament from March 3-5. 

In the Battle of Alberta, Mount Royal and the University of Alberta Pandas have fought fiercely against one-another for top spot. While Alberta has managed to edge out Mount Royal in five of six games this season, the Cougars’ largest feat by far this year was handing the Pandas their first loss in Edmonton on February 29. 

Winning 3-2, it was a a back-and-forth battle that saw the Cougars win the first set 27-25 but fall 25-21 and 27-25 in the second and third forcing a fourth where MRU was able to even the score with a dominant 25-13 performance, leading to a fifth set. Continuing to control the game, the Cougars solidified their win 15-10 in the fifth set. Strong performances from Quinn Pelland who set a new Canada West record for 59 assists in a game, combined with Nataliia Klimenova’s 18 digs and Madison Marshall’s 16 kills set the women up for a successful win. 

Captain Pelland also ranks among top CW players for service aces per set at .46 and assists per set at 9.25, ranking fourth and fifth overall in both categories. First-year middle blocker Mya Morgan has also stepped up to support her team defensively, leading the way with 1.24 blocks per set in Canada West. 

Marshall, Haley Roe and Jessica Osczevski have provided the majority of the team’s offensive power earning 204, 161 and 149 points; respectively across their 18 games. Pelland, Marshall and Klimenova have bolstered the Cougars defence with 157, 147 and 141 digs each, contributing to an average of 13.08 digs per set for the Cougars.

Earlier this week, the Cougars were named to the U SPORTS Top 10 Rankings with with a fifth-place position. The team received seven top 10 ranking positions overall, ranging from eighth to fourth throughout the year. 

Members of the women’s volleyball team have also received recognition through the Mount Royal Athletes of the Week presented by Players Bench program, showcasing their performances on the court. 

After finishing second overall in Canada West standings in 2019-20, the Cougars faced off against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and after losing the first game 3-2, battled back to win in the second and third games 3-1 and 3-0 in their CW quarter-final matchup, advancing to the semi-finals. Although they lost the first and third game to Alberta in the semi-finals, the Cougars were able to rally back in the Canada West Bronze Medal match against the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack winning 3-0 (25-21, 25-16 and 25-12), booking a ticket to U SPORTS Nationals in Calgary. 

Unfortunately, the tournament was cancelled due to the beginning of COVID-19 in March 2020 and the women are hoping for a shot at redemption this year as they begin their playoff run. 

Although the Huskies finished atop the east division, the Cougars hold a better record and higher points total against the host. When the Cougars compete on March 3-5 against the Huskies, Heat and the Bisons, they have a strong chance of taking a top two spot in divisional competition and moving on to the Canada West semi-finals. 

One step at a time though, the women will begin their 2021-22 post-season journey March 3 at the University of Saskatchewan. Schedules for the divisional playoff tournament are set to be released this coming week so stay up-to-date on game times and matchups at mrucougars.com and don’t miss a minute of men’s volleyball playoff action by tuning in to watch the Cougars on Canada West TV.