WVB: Cougars drop third game in a row as Griffins complete weekend sweep

Box Score
The Mount Royal University Cougars (2-9)  women’s volleyball team walked onto Kenyon Court seeking redemption against the MacEwan University Griffins (8-3), but lost the game 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25)

MacEwan got off to a strong start, opening the first set with three unanswered points, including two kills. Their ability to capitalize on Cougar errors neutralized the strong killing efforts from Bronwynn Davies-Neira, Mya Morgan and Jessica Osczevski. Despite Lexi Herrod’s ten assists on her team’s 13 kills, stellar execution helped the Griffins take a dominant 25-18 first-set victory.

Mount Royal’s best part of the night came in the second set, as Emma Boyd’s hands were still scorching hot from her terrific Friday night performance. After falling to an 11-7 deficit and being forced to call timeout, MRU responded with a suffocatingly strong 13-2 run. 

Even as the Griffins did their best to respond, exacting a 6-2 run of their own, Boyd kept them at bay with slam-dunk-style spikes that helped her team score three straight points and close out the set with a 25-20 victory. MRU achieved a kill rate of 34.4 per cent to capitalize on their four second-set blocks.

The Cougars started the third set with back-to-back points. Morgan showed the finesse in her touch as her fake sets turned into softly placed kills that had multiple Griffins diving and sliding. However, that hustle gave MacEwan enough digs to bury the Cougars with their defence as they took the set 25-19. Arguably, the Cougars beat themselves in this set as their seven errors made it all too easy for the Griffins.

Miscommunications and service errors put the Cougars on the wrong end of a 6-2 run at the beginning of the fourth set. Even as Boyd did her best She-Hulk impression, smashing the ball into the hardwood, the Griffins’ defence looked poised as they picked up three blocks in the set. MacEwan executed a series of Earth-shattering kills on their way to a 25-21 set victory and a 3-1 match victory.

Cougar of the Game honours went to Sydney Scatcherd, whose 10 kills and four digs kept her team competitive all night.

Mount Royal University’s women’s volleyball team will be back in action on January 5, 2024, as they head to Langley, B.C. to face Trinity Western University, hoping to put an end to their losing streak, which now stands at three games.