Tanner Michalenko, Saskatchewan Sports Information Student Assistant
SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan Huskies defeated the Mount Royal University Cougars in a five-set thriller (25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 25-12, 15-13) Saturday night at Ron & Jane Centre Court at the PAC.
With the win, Saskatchewan record improves to 4-6. Mount Royal falls to 5-4.
The Huskies were lead by second-year Emily Koshinsky, who recorded 17 kills, four digs and a game-high five service aces. Fourth-year Georgia Hurry chipped in with 12 kills and a dig, while fourth-year Alexandra Frank provided a game-high 41 assists with seven digs and two service aces.
For Mount Royal, fifth-year Alex Donaghy recorded a match-high 22 kills, with 14 digs, two assists and a team-high four service aces. Second-year Cassidy Kitchen also stood out for the Cougars, recording nine kills, 15 digs, three service aces and an assist.
Trailing 15-10 in the first set, the Huskies would rally back to tie the set at 19. From there, Koshinsky fired off back-to-back service aces to set to set up the 25-23.
The second set looked the opposite of the first. An early 12-5 Huskie lead would slowly be erased by the Cougars as they eventually tied it at 19. A 6-2 run from there earned them the win in set two, 25-21.
In the third, both teams battled back and forth until the Huskies gained a slight 21-20 advantage. However, a 5-0 Mount Royal run would give them the 2-1 set advantage after three.
The Huskies wouldn't give up the lead in the fourth set, taking it 25-18.
Mount Royal came out strong in the fifth, building a commanding 8-4 lead. The Huskies would crawl back to tie it at nine. Two Cougar attack errors would seal the match victory for Saskatchewan, at 15-13.
The Huskies will travel to Manitoba to take on the Bisons next weekend, while the Cougars return home for a weekend series against the UBC Thunderbirds. It will be the final weekend of women's volleyball for the first half of the season.
