REGINA – The defending Canada West and U SPORTS champion University of Alberta Pandas opened the 2026 season with a straight-sets win over the Regina Cougars, 25-22, 25-17, 25-13, on Friday night.
Johnston paced Alberta with 11 kills on .286 hitting, while Gray had 10 kills on .318 hitting. Setter Sophia Magus handed out 29 assists and added 11 digs, matching libero Misha Hameed. Alberta also held a small edge at the net, outblocking Regina 8.5 to 7. The win moves Alberta to 1-0 on the season, while Regina falls to 0-1.
Alberta started the first set quickly, as Mackenzie Pool served three aces in a run that put the Pandas up 8-1. Regina fought back and trimmed the gap to two points on several occasions, then used a five-point run, highlighted by two service aces from Mila Marquart, to erase a 19-13 deficit and pull within one. The Cougars went on to take a 22-20 lead, but Alberta didn't blink. The Pandas won the last five points of the set, with Sara Gray serving an ace and Pool finishing it with a kill.
The second set was tied at 3-3 before Regina went ahead 4-3. Laila Johnston turned the set on her serve, putting up two aces in a run that gave Alberta a 10-4 lead, with Gray adding three kills during the stretch. Regina cut the gap to two points midway through, but Alberta pulled away again and closed with a 6-0 run on Gray's serve, including two more aces, to finish the set.
Alberta started the third set the same way it started the first, opening on a 5-0 run with Pool serving. Regina answered with a few points but could not slow the Pandas down. After leading 15-7, Alberta used another Pool service run to score eight straight points and take a 24-10 lead. Regina scored three straight to stay in range, but the Pandas closed it out on the next point.
Alberta's attack improved with every set, hitting .129 in the first, .235 in the second and .478 in the third to finish at .261 for the match. Regina hit just .082 and committed 22 attack errors. The Pandas also had a 12-3 edge in service aces, led by six from Pool, who added six kills.
The two teams will meet again Saturday, Oct. 24, at 4 p.m., with Alberta visiting Regina. The game can be seen live on Canada West TV powered by BioSteel.
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