Alberta makes quick work of Brandon

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This article was published 05/01/2020 (2313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon University Bobcats were outmatched and dismantled at the Healthy Living Centre on Saturday.

From start to finish and across the board, the University of Alberta Pandas showed what it takes to be a playoff team, winning the Canada West women’s volleyball match 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-16).

Alberta (9-5) registered 44 kills, nine aces and six blocks with just 17 errors at the net. The Pandas’ tall, powerful hitters took advantage of single blocks and mismatches most of the evening.

“They’re a really big team. They’re the biggest team we’ve seen so far so it was an adjustment hitting against big blocks, but looking forward we’re going to play a lot of big teams like Trinity and UBC, so we got to adjust to that,” said BU setter Jamie Bain, who had a team high 14 digs.

“From the start even (Friday) they game planned really well. They really focused on stopping our big hitters. They’re a good team, they’ve got a good support staff and they’re doing their job.”

BU entered the weekend down two players from first semester, including left side Shayne Nichols, who was already filling in for Kier Fey after her season-ending left ACL tear in early November.

On the bright side, the Bobcats were able to activate six-foot-five Brazilian middle Kaoane Loch, who subbed in late in the first set, then started the next two on Saturday. Loch recorded a team-highs of three blocks and two aces in her second-career regular season match.

She realized just how tough of a first opponent she drew.

“We have a great defence and it’s a problem for them, but their adjustment, they tried to fight us with their defence and stop us and they did really well with the block,” Loch said. “They’re really big, so it’s a problem for us.

“The positive things are that I’m adjusting really well to the team. There’s a little bit of stuff I need to work harder … like my timing. My height is totally different from the other girls so I know it’s harder for everyone. My block was OK, but of course there’s a lot to improve.”

The Bobcats (2-12) came out remarkably flat, giving up 16 kills, two blocks and four aces without much of a response. It started with a 6-0 Pandas run and hardly got better for Brandon.

But as they usually do, the Bobcats came out for the second set a new team. With Loch in for middle Deserae Unger, BU’s defence showed up and created a 15-12 lead with four points coming from blocks. Then Kory White rotated back to the front row and Alberta rattled off five straight points.

The Pandas only made one error in the set after that, closing it out with a 5-2 run.

Brandon ran out of answers in the third. White and Julia Zonneveld had five kills each, finishing with 15 and 12, respectively, while BU managed to earn just six points in the final frame.

Rayvn Wiebe led all scorers for Brandon with seven kills and 8 1/2 total points while Danielle Larocque added three attack points.

A night after Nicole Ashauer led the Bobcats with 10 kills and just one error, she was held to five and four on 29 attempts.

“That’s volleyball,” Bain said. “You’ve got to always play hard no matter what. You’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. You got to keep going.”

Bain, who had a team-high 14 digs on the evening, had one positive to take away from the tough weekend.

“Our defence is killer,” Bain said. “(Head coach) Lee (Carter) said in our (post-match) meeting that if we play defence the way we did this weekend, our offence will take care of itself, so we just got to keep building on that.”

Meanwhile in California, the Bobcats men’s team fell 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 21-25, 28-26) to the University of California-San Diego in exhibition play.

Both Bobcats volleyball teams are home next weekend as the women host the University of Regina Cougars and men entertain the Alberta Golden Bears.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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