The Bisons women’s volleyball team faced off against the Alberta Pandas in the Canada West semifinal in Edmonton on Friday, March 7. Despite a valiant effort, the Bisons lost all three sets 25-19, 26-24 and 25-14 to the Pandas.
The first set started with the Bisons winning the first point after Ronnie Dickson made a service error.
The Pandas quickly tallied the point with a kill by Laila Johnston, assisted by Justine Kolody. The teams then began swapping points, with neither able to gain a clear advantage.
However, the Pandas scored five consecutive points to take a 23-17 lead. The Bisons were only able to score two more points before Laila Johnston and Allie Moore gave the Pandas the winning points with two kills.
At the end of the first set, the Bisons had eight kills, eight errors and 27 total attempts, while the Pandas had 11 kills, four errors and 25 total attempts.
The second set started with the Pandas scoring the first two points. However, Light Uchechukwu gave the Bisons their first point with a kill. Both teams then engaged in a back-and-forth scoring duel, with neither able to gain a clear advantage.
The Bisons scored three consecutive points to take a 15-12 lead, but the Pandas responded with three straight points to tie the score 18-18. The Pandas then scored three straight points again to take a 21-19 lead. The Bisons fought back, but the Pandas ultimately won the set 26-24.
In the second set, the Bisons had 17 kills, three errors and 49 total attempts, while the Pandas had 21 kills, two errors and 44 total attempts.
The third set started like the first two, with the Bisons winning the first point. However, the Pandas quickly took control, scoring five consecutive points to take a 18-9 lead. The Bisons were unable to recover, and the Pandas ultimately won the set 25-14.
At the end of the third set, the Bisons had nine kills, six errors and 35 total attempts, while the Pandas had 13 kills, four errors and 36 total attempts.
In total, the Bisons had 34 kills, 17 errors and 111 total attempts, while the Pandas had 45 kills, 10 errors and 105 total attempts.
Despite the loss, the Bisons moved on to face the Saskatchewan Huskies in the third-place match on Saturday, March 8.
The Bisons’ loss to the Pandas marked the end of their bid for a national championship title.
