BRANDON, MB - In a rematch of the 2025 U SPORTS Championship Final, Golden Bears Volleyball exacted some revenge with a 3-0 road win over the Brandon Bobcats. 

Matt Shand and Dylan Martens combined for 34 of the Bears 45 kills, with the two veteran Bears committing just four attack errors between them on 56 attempts. As a team, the Bears were incredibly efficient, finishing with a .375 attack percentage. 

The win sees Alberta (12-5) move up into fourth in the Canada West standings.

Shand led the Golden Bears with a dominant offensive performance, finishing with 17 kills on .519 hitting while adding 12 digs for a match-high 17.5 points. Martens was equally effective, posting 17 kills on .552 efficiency and contributing six digs. 

Setter Luke Weddell steered the offence with 29 assists. Jacob Sargent added seven kills, three block assists, and five digs, while middle Trent Cherewaty made his presence felt defensively with four block assists and a service ace.

For Brandon, Liam Pauls led the Bobcats with 11 kills, while Liam Kindle added 10 kills. Setter Kale Fisher recorded 26 assists, but Brandon struggled to sustain efficiency against Alberta's block and service pressure.

The opening set featured early back-and-forth play, with two lead changes before Alberta began to separate midway through the frame. Shand and Martens combined for eight kills in the set, consistently terminating high balls in transition. Weddell distributed effectively to keep Brandon's block off balance, while Cherewaty and Sargent teamed up for multiple block touches late to help Alberta close the set on a 5–2 run.

The second set proved the tightest of the match, featuring 12 tie scores and three lead changes. Brandon pushed late behind Kindle and Pauls, taking a brief lead at 22–21. Alberta responded with composure. Martens delivered a key cross-court kill to level the score, and Shand followed with a high-hands finish to swing momentum back. After trading points to 24–24, Shand closed the set with back-to-back kills, including a sharp-angle swing off a Weddell set, giving Alberta a critical two-set cushion.

Brandon made its final push in the third, capitalizing on extended rallies and service pressure to hold narrow leads through the middle stages. Alberta countered with improved defence, led by Marek Edwards, who finished with nine digs, stabilizing the backcourt. Sargent added a timely block assist at 23–22, and Shand followed with a transition kill to erase set point. Martens sealed the sweep with a decisive swing at 26–25, completing Alberta's straight-sets victory.