SASKATOON – After an epic battle the night prior, things were much more one-sided Saturday afternoon in the PAC as the visiting Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's volleyball team rolled to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-21) over the Saskatchewan Huskies.
 
"We've talked about how if we want to be a contender we can't lose two matches in a row, so far we've been good at that and I'm really proud of this group," said WolfPack head coach Chad Grimm. "I'm impressed with how we were able to come out, focus and take care of business today."
 
The WolfPack out-hit the Huskies .235-.100 in the match, something Huskies head coach Mark Dodds attributed to a strong Thompson Rivers defence.
 
"We couldn't find a way to score, they were touching and digging everything that got past the block which gets frustrating. Kudos to them for playing really scrappy defence."
 
Kendra Finch had a game-high 14 kills for Thompson Rivers with Olga Savenchuk adding eight and Gabriela Podolski dominating the service line with seven aces.
 
Mandi Fraser was a bright spot for the Huskies, finishing on 12 of her 22 swings in the match. A member of the Canada West all-rookie team last year, Fraser continues to shine in her second season with Saskatchewan.
 
"She wants to be that player and when you have the talent and desire that she has those two things go well together and we are seeing some pretty special things out of her," said Dodds.
 
The result moves Thompson Rivers to 9-3 on the season and moves them into third in the conference. For Saskatchewan meanwhile, they finish the first half of their season with an 8-4 record and in fourth place in Canada West despite the loss.
 
"It was a great first half, we got the most out of the group that we could," said Dodds. "We have a young team, so moving forward we are just going to continue to get stronger. We had one injury that changed our first half significantly but we were able to rely on our depth and play really well."
 
This was the final game for both teams before the winter break. Saskatchewan will be back in action when they host the MacEwan Griffins January 3 and 4 while the WolfPack will travel to Winnipeg to take on the Wesmen on those very same dates.