It only took six sets for the U of M women’s volleyball team to send the University of Saskatchewan Huskies packing. The Bisons swept the Huskies three sets to none in games played at Investors Group Athletic Centre (IGAC) on Nov. 8 and 9.
The Bisons were without Taylor Pischke, who led the team in kills and points scored heading into the weekend. The Bisons were able to fill Pischke’s spot in the rotation without missing a beat, dominating the Huskies in nearly every set.
On Friday, Rachel Cockrell’s 12 kills and 14 points led all players and helped secure the Bison win 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-14). The Bisons started the match by going on a 6-0 run, which was aided by four attack errors committed by the Huskies. The early lead set the tone for the first set, as the Bisons took it to the visitors 25-13.
Candace Hueser and Kayla Tycholiz led Saskatchewan with 10 points a piece on the night. The Huskies took their only lead of the match in the second set, but the Bisons still won the second set 25-18 and cruised to victory in the third.
On Saturday, the Huskies put up a better fight, but were still no match for the Bisons. Crystal Mulder was the star, leading all players with 11 kills, nailing two service aces and pitching in on defence with 10 digs.
“It’s what I expect from [Mulder],” said Bison head coach Ken Bentley. “She’s one of the rocks of the team and I expect her to play like that.”
Saskatchewan looked to come from behind and steal the first set, but an attack error by Anne Hanbidge on set point gave the Bisons the edge, 25-23. The Bisons continued to dominate the Huskies for the remainder of the game, winning 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-18).
“I’m very happy with their play; we played six very solid sets of volleyball,” said coach Bentley.
“Our defence was really strong. We had an idea of how we wanted to play them, and I thought we did a great job of sticking to that idea throughout the weekend.”+
With the wins, the Bisons are 4-2 and in a three-way tie for third place in the Canada West conference with Calgary and UBC Okanagan. Their two losses on the season came on the road against the undefeated UBC Thunderbirds. Their next two matches are against the second place (5-1) Brandon Bobcats at IGAC.
“[Brandon] is a very good team so we have to play really good volleyball to beat those guys,” said coach Bentley. “But it is nice to be home for a couple of weeks and get settled in. The extra time you get during the week for your preparation is invaluable.”
Check out the Bisons taking on the Bobcats at IGAC Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and Nov. 16 at 5 p.m.
