EDMONTON - Fourth-year Bears outside hitter Braedon Friesen finished with a team-high 11 kills to go with an efficient .412 hitting percentage as the Alberta Golden Bears dispatched the Saskatchewan Huskies 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-22) Saturday evening at the Saville Centre.
It was banner night in Edmonton, as the Bears had a short pre-game ceremony celebrating their 2022 U SPORTS Championship. 14 of 18 current Bears players were part of the championship team last year, including Friesen.
The game was a complete reverse from Friday's opener, in which the Huskies dominated the Bears in three straight sets. Both teams move to 1-1 on the young campaign.
Alberta was supplanted by third-year Billy Johnstone and second-year Isaac Heslinga who had seven and eight kills respectively, while the Huskies were led by a standout performance from fifth-year Dylan Mortenson who finished with a game-high 13 kills.
The game started with a back and forth first set, with both teams displaying efficient attacking and serving. The Bears started to heat up midway through the set, with Friesen recording three of his set-high six kills including a service ace to put a bow on a 7-2 Alberta run. While the Huskies would stay in it, the Bears experienced lineup would close out the set with a 25-17 win.
The Bears finished with a .588 hitting percentage against the Huskies .150, a reversal of fortunes from the previous night's game.
The Bears continued their momentum into the second set, never trailing the Huskies in the frame. It was not an easy one, however, as the Huskies kept the game within two points for the majority of the set. Saskatchewan's fifth-year outside hitter Dylan Mortenson had a set-high six kills in the set, leading a Huskies attack that marginally improved upon their starting set.
He was shadowed, however, by a monster set from U SPORTS Championship All-Star Canham who had five kills along with two digs. Alberta would head to the third set with a 2-0 lead after a 25-20 second set.
Alberta rode their mojo to a 7-0 run to start the third set, punctuated by three kills from reigning U SPORTS All-Rookie Team member Isaac Heslinga. The Huskies would stick around helped by Mortenson, however in a game-long trend their attack was stifled by good Alberta defence. The set would end 25-22 and send Alberta home with their first win of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Bears head to Winnipeg for their first matchup with the Wesmen (1-0) next weekend, while the Huskies return home to take on the MacEwan Griffins (0-1).
