WVB: Cougars win second in a row over Huskies

Box Score

CALGARY, AB – Though the outside temperatures were dangerously cold, the Cougars stayed scorchingly hot on the court.

The Mount Royal University Cougars women’s volleyball team defeated the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-1 (15-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-22) for their second straight win of the weekend.

After giving up the first set on Friday, the Huskies flexed their muscle in today’s opening set. Keely Anderson’s five kills propelled Saskatchewan to a comfortable win and a 1-0 set lead.

Despite looking like a shell of themselves in the first, the Cougars rebounded in the second, jumping to a 10-3 lead. Huskies head coach Mark Dodds was forced to call a timeout and successfully put a stop to the Mount Royal run, putting together a three-point run.

Aurora Bentrim made her presence known for the Cougars with a few crucial digs and an ace that put the momentum back in MRU’s favour. Another couple of aces and five kills from Jessica Osczevski along with terrific digging led by veteran libero Sarah McKillican guided the Cougars to even the score 1-1 with a statement eight-point win in set two.

Mount Royal led early in the third but had the momentum swiftly stolen after a strong attack streak by the Huskies. The two teams went kill-for-kill for some time, however, MRU strung together a run to put the set out of reach for Saskatchewan and took another commanding win.

Jessica Osczevski continued to show why she is one of the best all-around players at her position, making impacts on the attack, on defence and the serve. The fifth-year’s impressive connection with setter Lexi Herrod was on full display on Saturday. Herrod finished with a game-high 38 assists.

Although applying some pressure on MRU in the fourth set, the Huskies struggled to find their spot when attacking and looked out-of-sync on the back half of a tough road trip through the frigid western prairies. Keely Anderson and Abbey Klein provided bright spots for Saskatchewan but the game was ultimately secured by Mount Royal.

The 4-12 Cougars will finish their four-game homestand next weekend when they take on the University of Fraser Valley Cascades at Kenyon Court. Tickets are available for purchase online and all the action can be streamed live on Canada West TV.