Amanda SparksThe University of Alberta Pandas volleyball team took on the Mount Royal University (MRU) Cougars in double-header games on Friday, February 3, and Saturday, February 4. Friday night’s game ended in an 0-3 loss after MRU won three straight sets. The next night, after the Pandas won the first set, MRU came back to win the next three. MRU eventually took home the win, with a final score of 1-3.
On Friday, the Pandas lost all three sets against the MRU Cougars. The Pandas started serving the first set, and made the first point as Lauren Tremblay blocked the ball back onto MRU’s court. The set also saw the Cougars take a nine-point rally, before Panda Laila Johnston broke the MRU run with a block, making the score 6-18. MRU made their 25th point after a Pandas block went out of bounds, leaving the Pandas 11 points behind.
The Pandas also took the first point of the second set on a kill from Tremblay, who finished the game with 10 points. The Pandas trailed the Cougars, but remained close in points for a large portion of the second. The Cougars made their final point on a Pandas service error, as the set finished at 23-25.
The third and final set of Friday’s game once again saw the Pandas receive the first point, from a tip over the net by Sona Sajeev. The set ended at 18-25 as a block from Johnston, receiving seven kills throughout the game, went wide and landed out of bounds. Pandas’ libero, Kalysta Knappett, made 12 digs on Friday, and Mackenzie Pool finished the night with six kills and seven points overall.
Saturday held another Pandas defeat by MRU, with a final score of 1-3. MRU began the first set, as Haley Roe took the game’s first kill. The Pandas quickly retaliated, getting onto the scoreboard as Justine Kolody tipped the ball over. The Pandas took an early lead, but the Cougars caught up after a Pandas spike went out of bounds, tying them at 8-8. Allie Moore and Pool made the stuff to end the first set in the Pandas’ advantage, at 25-23.
MRU made the first points of the second set as well, as a Cougars spike was touched by the Pandas, but went out of bounds. The Cougars took the second set on a kill by Nyadholi Thokbuom, with the Pandas eight points behind.
In the third set, a Pandas service error sent the ball into the net, giving MRU the first points. Matching stuffs by both Emma Holmes and Sajeev set the Pandas back within one point of the Cougars at 9-10. However, the set ended in the Cougars’ favour after a blocked hit went out of bounds, ending the set at 22-25.
The final set began with a Tremblay hit going out of bounds, getting MRU onto the board first, before ending on a Roe service ace, with a score of 17-25. Johnston led the Pandas, who picked up 15 kills and 17.5 points throughout the second game, for a total of 25 points for the weekend. Tremblay was close behind Johnston, with 14.5 points and 11 kills on Saturday.
