The Wesmen women’s volleyball squad hit the court hard against the Saskatchewan Huskies last weekend and came out on top, winning 3-1 on both Friday and Saturday nights (Nov. 19-20).

Captain Lauren Sears saw the wins as a leap forward for the team as a whole. 

“The weekend was definitely a turning point for us in terms of attitude,” she said. “One of our goals every weekend is to play one point at a time ... and it worked out for us.” 

After a convincing win on Friday night, the Wesmen came back ready to do it all over again on Saturday night. 

“After a solid match Friday we knew we had to be better on Saturday because Saskatchewan is always better the second night,” said head coach Diane Scott. “We showed toughness and spirit and proved to ourselves we can be up for the challenge.” 

In the opening set of Saturday’s match, both the Huskies and the Wesmen were hungry for the win.

The lead was passed between the two teams, until second-year Sonia Rossy of Winnipeg tied the set with a cross-court kill at 25-25.

Wesmen rookie Mackenzie Jeffrey gave Winnipeg the lead with an ace on the next serve. The Huskies then lost the set 27-25 on an attack error. 

The second set was much like the first, with the score staying close and the lead changing teams constantly.

When the Wesmen took the lead 24-22, it looked like the set was over but the Huskies battled back with two consecutive points to tie the game again at 24-24. Jeffery came up big again for the Wesmen, with an unanswered kill that gave Winnipeg the lead. 

They closed out the set 28-26. 

Winnipeg lost their focus early on in the third set. Down 18-10, they battled back with a 10-3 run. It was back and forth for the next few points, until the Huskies finally took control and won the set 26-24.

Despite winning the third set, the Huskies had lost their steam by the fourth, and the Wesmen were able to maintain a significant lead throughout the set.
The Wesmen captured the final set, 25-17. 

Rossy believes it was Winnipeg’s aggressive offence that gave them the edge against Saskatchewan. 

“We played a really good defensive team and kept our composure whenever they dug up our hits,” she noted. 

Visit www.uniter.ca/section/c/campus to find out how the Wesmen men did during last weekend’s volleyball action.

Published in Volume 65, Number 13 of The Uniter (November 25, 2010)