CALGARY – The Mount Royal Cougars will have a shot to win their first U SPORTS Championship on Sunday, after dispatching the Alberta Pandas 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 26-24) in the national semifinal on Saturday night.
 
The win is the third for the six-seeded Cougars over the third-seeded Pandas this season, after being the only team to defeat Alberta in the regular season. They will now take on the winner of the Trinity Western vs. McGill semifinal, with the Pandas taking on the loser in the national bronze medal match.
 
Haley Roe led the Cougars with 13 kills, with Nataliia Klimenova providing sensational defence, recording 19 digs.

The Cougars as a team dug up 73 balls, adding 9 total blocks in an excellent defensive performance. Captain Quinn Pelland scored 30 assists and a game-high 20 digs.
 
Fifth-year Panda Kory White led Alberta with 14 kills on 46 attempts, while Justine Kolody added 32 assists and five aces.
 
Contrary to their win over Dalhousie in the quarter-final, the Pandas struggled with offensive efficiency, committing 17 attack and eight service errors in the semifinal.
 
Seven of those attack errors came in the first in a 25-21 first set win.
 
The Mount Royal crowd was also factor in their semifinal win, adding to the national championship pressure for Alberta. Roe led Mount Royal with seven kills in the first.
 
The Pandas showed signs of life in the second, taking a 16-14 lead into the technical timeout. However, the Cougars ripped off 11 of the next 13 points, winning the second 25-18.
 
MRU led by as much as five early in the third, before the Pandas levelled the set at 20-20. Back-to-back kills by Madison Marshall sealed the set and match for the Cougars.
 
The U SPORTS Championship match is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in Calgary, with the bronze match going at 3:00 p.m.
 
Mikasa Top Performers Presented by Team Nike
Alberta Pandas : #8 Vanessa Jarman
Mount Royal Cougars : #5
 
As the Exclusive Volleyball Supplier of U SPORTS, Mikasa will provide match balls, as well as other prizing to the U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship and the U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship in 2022.