EDMONTON – The University of Alberta Golden Bears fought through two extra-point sets and a dominant fifth to beat the Trinity Western Spartans 3-2 on Friday night at the Saville Community Sports Centre, winning 29-27, 30-32, 25-19, 16-25, 15-9 in front of 998 fans.

Martens led Alberta with 19 kills, while DeZutter added 16 kills on .268 hitting and Owen Harris had 10 kills on .588 hitting. Weddell handed out 45 assists, and Cherewaty added six kills on .400 hitting and five block assists.

The win moves the Golden Bears to 3-0 on the season, while Trinity Western falls to 2-1.

The opening set was tied 12 times and went to extra points. Trinity Western led 22-20 and reached set point at 24-22, but Alberta won the next three points to take a 25-24 lead, forced a pair of Spartans timeouts, and traded points through deuce before taking the last two for a 29-27 win.

The second set was even closer. Alberta trailed 10-7 early and called timeout, then rallied to lead 17-15 and later 22-21. Trinity Western tied it, reached set point at 24-22, and the teams went back and forth through 12 more points. Alberta had four set points of its own but could not close, and the Spartans finally won it 32-30.

The Golden Bears responded in the third set. Tied at 12 and 15, Alberta ripped off seven of the next eight points to go up 22-16, forcing two Trinity Western timeouts, and went on to win 25-19. Tyson DeZutter and Dylan Martens led the attack in the frame.

Trinity Western took the fourth set convincingly. The Spartans led 15-11 before scoring six straight to go up 24-14, and Alberta could only slow the run briefly before the set ended 25-16.

The fifth set belonged to Alberta. The Golden Bears opened with a 2-0 lead and never gave it up, building a 10-6 lead and then 12-6 as Trinity Western called two timeouts. They closed it out 15-9, hitting .350 in the decider.

Alberta had a 11-2 edge in service aces, led by five from setter Luke Weddell and three from Trent Cherewaty. Trinity Western outhit the Golden Bears .248 to .204, and both teams blocked 10.0 and committed 30 service errors.

The two teams will meet again Saturday, Nov. 7, at 6:45 p.m. at the Saville Community Sports Centre. Tickets are available at bearsandpandas.ca/tickets. 

-UA-