Women drop in five, men clean sweep

COUGAR WOMEN
January 6, 2012 - It was expected to be one of the most exciting matches of the year, and for those in attendance at Friday night’s game between the MRU Cougars and Medicine Hat Rattlers – the matchup certainly didn’t disappoint.

While the Cougars found themselves on the wrong side of the win column this time, dropping three sets to two (25-20, 25-27, 25-20, 15-25 and 8-15) the match featured plenty of highlight reel kills and back-and-forth rallies that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats the entire evening.

In a tightly contested first set, the Cougars were able to pull away with the game tied at 18-18, as Olivia Grecu put home the 24th point, before Jordan Michie of Medicine Hat sailed one wide to secure the set for the Cougars 25-20.

In the second frame, it would be the Rattlers who would pull away after a late deadlock at 25-25, as they continued to find the empty space on the court, tipping home the game’s 26th point, before securing a stuff block on Kate Porta to win the second 27-25.

The see-saw battle would continue well into the third set, as the Cougars would again regain the momentum, as setter Mackenzie Allen’s tip found a soft spot in the ‘D’ with the set on the line - leading to a Cougars 25-20 third set win.

Up 2-1, the Cougars looked poised to continue their stellar play into the fourth, but it was the Rattlers who would seize control, as ACAC kills leader Megan Nagy would start to find her groove, hammering home a number of crucial kills, while the Cougars struggled to effectively pass and find a solution for Nagy’s offense.

The Rattlers would make it look easy in the fourth, securing a 25-15 set win to even the match up at 2-2 – forcing a fifth and deciding set.

Medicine Hat would continue to ride the wave of momentum in the final frame, keeping the Cougars off-balance with a number of well placed kills from a host of players, including Kelsey Konihowski, who finished the match with 14 kills – as they took control winning 15-8.

Megan Nagy led the evening in kills, totalling a season high 29, while Olivia Grecu paced the Cougs’ attack with 14 of her own.

They say the true test of a team is how well they overcome adversity in the face of defeat, and the Cougars will get a shot at redemption when they head to Medicine Hat on Saturday night for a rematch versus the Rattlers .

COUGAR MEN
The Cougar men's volleyball team was impressive in their 2012 debut, making short work of the Medicine Hat Rattlers, winning in straight sets (26-24, 25-11 and 25-16).

Colton deMan led the offensive onslaught, compiling a game high 15 kills, while newcomer Grigor Kartev made his presence felt, registering five kills and a game high three stuff blocks.

While his stats weren't overwhelming, the 7-foot-1 Frenchmen was impactful, clearly changing his oppositions attack as they looked to avoid the towering presence in the middle.

In an extremely tight first set, the Cougars were able to get the better of the ‘Hat when the game mattered most, reeling off two straight points at 24-24, including a huge stuff block from outside Jordan Parkin to secure the first set 26-24.

The Cougars would continue to pour it on in the second, reigning down kills from every spot on the court, as they pulled out to an early 15-7 lead, and 25-11 set win.

The third set would get no better for Medicine Hat, as the Cougars offense was simply too much for the Rattlers on this night, as four Cougars registered at least five kills on the evening, as both Dan Durham and Parkin finished with eight kills, in addition to deMan (15) and Kartev (5).

Kartev said he was happy with his ACAC debut.

“I haven’t played for about six months now, so it feels really good to get back out there,” said Kartev. “I got to play some tournament action this week (Timbertown) so I wasn’t too nervous – I thought I played well, but I know I can play better - there’s always room for improvement.”

With the win the Cougar men improve to 8-3 on the season, while the Rattlers fall to 6-5.

The Cougars and Rattlers will be back on the hard-court in Medicine Hat on Saturday, January 7, before the Cougars return home to battle the SAIT Trojans on Wednesday, January 18 in their next match on Kenyon Court.