Huskies stymie Wiebe, earn sweep
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/11/2021 (1522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Saskatchewan Huskies simply weren’t going to let Rayvn Wiebe beat them on back-to-back nights.
After the Brandon University Bobcats captain torched them for seven opening-set kills and 21 on the night Friday, they sent double and triple blocks out to left side and shut her down. Wiebe ended up with just four kills and seven errors as the Huskies won 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-23) to split their Canada West women’s volleyball opening weekend at the Healthy Living Centre on Saturday.
While the fifth-year attacker said Saskatchewan (1-1) played better in the rematch, she chalked it up more to her off night than a defence she can’t handle.
“Nobody likes it but if you’re going to be a great player, you’ve got to be able to move past it,” Wiebe said. “It’s just forgetting about it, moving on. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a way to get past it in that first set. Part of it is trying new shots. I had the tendency that set to just try the same one over and over again.”
Bobcats head coach Lee Carter pulled her during the second set in favour of rookie outside hitter Avery Burgar. The Sylvan Lake, Alta., product picked up three kills in the frame, then switched to right side when Wiebe returned for the third. Burgar ended with five kills and two errors on 11 attempts for a solid .273 hitting percentage, adding two digs and two blocks.
While few U Sports players are used to coming off the bench, Burgar felt comfortable in the role.
“Definitely just try and bring that energy, do everything you can. Coming off the bench you can’t be cold, you got to just go in and have lots of energy, try and pick everyone up, especially after feeling a little down, getting blocked,” Burgar said.
“It’s definitely intimidating but I just try my best to put it all out there and try not to be nervous, keep it steady for the team, doing the best I can, hitting all the shots I can.”
The Huskies forced five errors from Wiebe in the opening-frame but Brandon still led 16-15 at the technical timeout in the first. Then Saskatchewan rattled off a six-point run before setter Jamie Bain found Kaoane Loch for a middle kill.
Wiebe got her first kill on her 16th attempt but by then it was too little, too late. The Bobcats had a three-point run to cut the deficit to 24-22 before Emily Koshinsky pounded the set-winner. Saskatchewan hit .308 with 17 kills in the frame.
The Huskies came out hot in the second and Carter subbed half his starters out by the technical timeout as the visitors cruised to a double-digit set win. They had 12 kills on 22 attempts without an error.
Brandon came back with a better effort in the third and trailed 19-17 before two Bain aces and a Hannah rejection gave them their first late lead of the night at 21-19. But it was all Huskies from there as the visitors came up with three late kills and an ace to complete the sweep.
“In order for us to win, all of us have to be playing well. That first set we didn’t lose by that much and it’s almost comforting, in a way, that I can play so bad and my team can pick me up and almost get that win there,” Wiebe said. “… We’ll go back on Monday in practice and try some new things, for sure.”
Taryn Hannah led the Bobcats with seven kills and added eight digs. Huskies Olivia Matter had a match-high 12 kills as her team hit .300 to Brandon’s .142.
BU gets back to action this week Friday and Saturday at Regina, then has a bye week before hosting Manitoba on Nov. 26 and 27. Wiebe’s ready to prove the loss was a mere blip in a long 2021-22 season.
“This is my sixth year of playing volleyball at Brandon University. The player I am isn’t summed up by two sets that I’ve played. I have a whole career I can back myself up with so I’m pretty confident in what I’m able to do and I know what I need to do in order for us to win,” Wiebe said. “It didn’t happen tonight, obviously. An off night is tough for me, it’s tough for the team but we’ll learn from it and we’ll move on.”
QUICK HITS: Bobcats’ fourth-year libero Caitlin Le surpassed 1,000 career digs on Saturday.
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @thomasmfriesen