EDMONTON — The Winnipeg Wesmen season came to an end Friday at the hands of the nation’s top-ranked team.
The Alberta Pandas advanced to the Canada West semifinal round with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-7, 25-23) win over the Wesmen in Match 2 of the best-of-three conference quarter-final at the Saville Centre.
The Wesmen were held to .129 attacking on the night but were still hanging around in the first and third sets looking for an upset.
In Set 1, they held an 18-14 lead before the Pandas ran off five straight points. Alberta eventually took a 23-19 lead but the Wesmen responded with a four-point run to tie the set. A Brooke Duncalfe service error and a Laila Johnston kill put it away for Alberta.
After a forgettable second set, the Wesmen rebounded in the third. Falling behind 9-5, the Wesmen rallied to tie the set at 11, shook off a few Alberta runs and pulled even again at 20. After Alberta then scored three of the next four, the Wesmen got kills from Ella Werbiski and Megan Kendziora to even the set at 23. Johnston and Allie Moore, however, followed with kills to secure the match and the series.
Kendziora finished with six kills and seven digs and Grace Vallis also added six kills. Taylor Cangemi, in her final match as a Wesmen, and Naomi Unger both had a team-high 13 digs.
Abby Guezen and Payton Henderson led the Pandas with 10 kills.