FINAL SCORE
Saskatchewan – 3 
Brandon – 2 
Set Summary – S1 | 25-18, S2 | 19-25, S3 | 25-19, S4 | 17-25, S5 | 15-12
 
SASKATOON, SK – The Huskies welcomed the Brandon Bobcats to Saskatoon to open the 2023-24 Canada West regular season. A thrilling five set match at the Physical Activity Complex led to a 3-2 Huskies win at home.
 
After a slow start, Saskatchewan asserted their dominance in the first set with a soaring 25-18 win. The Bobcats went into the second looking to clean up after racking up 7 errors compared to the Huskies 2. 
 
The second set was a back-and-forth battle with an early 8-8 split. Brandon was able to pull in front 18-11 and they did not let up, managing the 25-19 set win to tie things up at one set a piece. 
 
Saskatchewan snagged the first point in the third with a service ace by Jefferson Morrow. The ace was the start of a growing lead that the Huskies held for the remainder of the set to bring them up 2-1 in the match. 
 
Brandon would not go down without a fight, rallying to an 11-6 lead early in the fourth. While the Huskies battled back, they were unable to overcome the Bobcats lead and ended with the 17-25 set loss.
 
The fifth set opened in the hands of the Huskies after a series of errors by the Bobcats sent the Huskies up four points, forcing the Brandon timeout. The timeout allowed for a momentum shift that brought Brandon back in reach at 8-7 Huskies. Saskatchewan would hold on to their lead and take the fifth and final set 15-12.

Saskatchewan Head Coach Sean McKay had mixed feelings about his team's performance. 'We played three good sets of volleyball and two really bad sets of volleyball. Lesson of the night is to clean things up and focus on the little things and manage the nerves. That will hopefully put us in a good spot for the match tomorrow". 
 
KEY PERFORMANCES
Isaiah Mamer had 12 kills, 4 digs and a solo block for the Huskies. New recruit Jefferson Morrow had 7 kills, 7 digs, 2 aces and a solo block. Saskatchewan setter Noah Opseth had 37 assists on the evening.
Brandon's offence was led by JJ Love who racked up 5 aces and 6 kills to accompany his 11 digs and 2 solo blocks. 
 
NEXT UP 
The Huskies are back in action on Saturday, October 21 at 3:00 PM to close out their weekend with the Bobcats. Tickets are available at HuskieTickets.com and the game can be streamed live on CanadaWest.TV.