BRANDON – The 2018-19 Canada West women's volleyball opener didn't disappoint as the marathon five set match saw the Saskatchewan Huskies come away with a 3-2 (25-20, 25-27, 28-30, 26-24, 15-11) win over the host Brandon Bobcats Friday night.

The Huskies hit a positive clip all night, and dug out gritty fourth and fifth sets that proved to be the difference.

"It feels really good to start with a win, especially in such a competitive game," said third-year outside hitter Emily Koshinsky. "It really could have been anyone's game.  It was just a gritty, competitive game, but we really wanted it. We never really gave up on any ball. There were some moments that could have hurt us, but we didn't let it set us back."

Regan Wiebe was terrific in the first set for the Huskies, putting up three kills and a stuff block, taking what would be the quickest set of the night 25-20.

After trailing 23-20 in the second set, the Huskies clawed their way back to set point before the Bobcats fought back and took it 27-25.

The third set was similar, as Brandon held a 24-21 lead before four straight points from the Huskies tied it, eventually forcing set point before the Bobcats battled back on three straight points to close out the set 30-28.

The fourth set also saw extras, but the Huskies hung around, forcing a fifth set in which Brandon jumped to a 9-6 lead. Tough serving from the Huskies closed it out as Saskatchewan finished the match on four straight points.

Nikala Majewski's 24 kills were the match-high, while Saskatchewan was led by Koshinsky's 22.

Brandon's Caitlin Le had a match-high 25 digs while Shae Beaulieu led the Huskies with 22.

The win moves Saskatchewan to 1-0 on the season while Brandon sits at 0-1. The two teams meet again Saturday afternoon at 5 pm at Brandon's Healthy Living Centre.