Files from University of Alberta Sports Information

The University of Alberta Pandas volleyball team was pushed to four sets, but still came away with a 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-10, 25-12) win over the Winnipeg Wesmen, Saturday night at Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. 

The win is the Pandas eight straight to start the season. The Wesmen, meanwhile, fall to 0-8 after Saturday night's result.

Fifth-year Panda Meg Casault paced the Pandas with 17 kills on 35 attempts, while Karly Jansen chipped in with 13 kills on 27 attempts. Mariah Walsh finished with a game-high 48 assists.

Fourth-year Danika Picklyk led the Wesmen with 19 kills.

Coming off a convincing straight-sets win over the Wesmen the previous night, the Pandas picked up right where they left off, jumping out to a quick 11-4 first set lead. The Wesmen were able to claw back in the set, cutting the lead to just 3, before the Pandas sealed the set with a 6-1 run enroute to a 25-14 win.

The second set was much closer, as the Wesmen won their first set of the weekend 25-21. In what was a tight set from start to finish, neither team generated a lead of more than four. Picklyk racked up eight of her 19 kills in the second, as the Pandas mustered just 15 kills on 40 attempts and eight errors in the second.

The Panda attack, however, cleaned up in the third, scoring a .583 hit percentage on 15 kills and just one error. Jansen had easily her best stretch in the third, tallying six kills and an ace. Alberta took advantage of poor serve receives from the Wesmen in the third, going on a 11-3 run to close out the lopsided set.

The fourth was much of the same, as Meg Casault took her game to another level with 10 kills in a dominating set. The Wesmen appeared gassed in the fourth, not pushing the Pandas in any shape.

The 8-0 Pandas will continue their season next weekend, as they host the Regina Cougars in a two-game set at SCSC. Winnipeg, meanwhile, will head back to Manitoba for a home-and-home series against the Brandon Bobcats on Thursday and Friday night.