REGINA — The Winnipeg Wesmen fell victim to a reverse sweep on Opening Night in the Canada West, Friday.

The Wesmen women's volleyball team built up a two-set lead only to watch the host Regina Cougars rally back for a 3-2 (27-29, 15-25, 25-19, 25-15, 16-14) victory on the first day of conference play. 

Grace Vallis had 18 kills and hit .395 to lead the Wesmen, who hit .180 in the first and .406 in the second, but hit .107 over the final three sets, The Cougars, meanwhile, hit no worse than .241 over the final three as they won their season-opener for the second straight year. 

Under the swelling momentum Regina had built by winning Sets 3 and 4 — and building three-point leads twice in Set 5 — the Wesmen did manage to punch back in the fifth, turning an 11-8 deficit into a 12-12 tie. They won six out of nine points, had the set tied at 13, and staved off one set point on an Emily Lavallee Kill that drew even at 14. 

Back-to-back kills by Jordy McEachern and Samantha Krausher, however, put the ribbon on the comeback for the home side. 

Brooke Duncalfe had 15 kills and 13 digs — one of four Wesmen in double-digits defensively — and Vallis added five total blocks to finish with 21 total points. Taylor Cangemi had a match-high 17 digs and Ella Werbiski added 15, while Megan Kendziora had 15.

The Cougars were led by McEachern's 18 kills and Kraushers's 17. Anna Schulz added 11.

The teams meet to wrap up the opening weekend Saturday at 6 p.m. CT, in a match that can be seen live on Canada West TV.