EDMONTON - The Alberta Pandas saw a depth-fueled offensive explosion lead them to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-10, 25-18) sweep of the MRU Cougars Saturday night at the Saville Centre.
They were stellar on the attack, hitting .432 in the game and extending their lead as the most efficient offence in the Canada West. Mackenzie Pool led the game with 10 kills, but more impressive was that eight separate Pandas recorded a kill, including five Pandas with four or more. The win pushes Alberta to 7-1, but they will face a great test before the holidays as they host the 6-2 Trinity Western Spartans next weekend.
MRU was impressive at points, but were simply unable to patch together any sustained momentum in the straight-set loss. They were limited to a .136 mark through the attack, and only recorded three total blocks in the contest. They slip to 2-6, and are done for the calendar year as they next face Manitoba in the new year.
The Cougars were on the prowl early, and behind a scathing attack jumped out to an early 13-10 lead that forced an early Alberta timeout. The Pandas would stay composed, and after a textbook Guezen kill they would open a 12-3 run that would put them firmly in the driver's seat en route to a 25-19 set win. Guezen led the frame with seven kills, while the Cougars saw another quality set from Mya Morgan who had a team-high five.
The Cougars struggled to piece anything together on offence, leading to a 12-6 early deficit that was a result of a -.121 hitting percentage. The Pandas would continue to pounce on opportunity, eventually winning the second set by a large 25-10 margin, hitting a scorching .474 in the process. Payton Henderson was phenomenal off the bench, as she recorded three kills on just four attacks for the red-hot Pandas, while helping to hold the Cougars to a -.131 mark on the attack.
MRU would regain some confidence to begin the third set, as they jumped out to an 8-7 early lead. However, the Pandas would take advantage of some lackluster Cougar execution as they forced the visitors to just a .069 attacking percentage in the frame, rolling to a 25-18 set and match win.
