EDMONTON – The University of Saskatchewan Huskies were unable to overcome a red-hot Alberta Golden Bears squad as they fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-22) in Game 1 of their CW quarter-final series on Thursday night.
 
The win was the third-straight for Alberta over Saskatchewan, who swept the Huskies in Saskatoon two weeks ago in their regular season finale.
 
Jordan Canham led the Bears attack with 11 kills on just 21 attempts, with Jackson Kennedy adding eight, and Braedon Friesen powering in seven.
 
Connor Murray led Saskatchewan with 14 kills on 28 attempts, with Cole Burkart chipping in six. Alberta out-killed the Huskies 36-30, finishing with five more aces and five more blocks.
 
The Golden Bears were sensational attacking in the first quarter, ripping in 14 kills on just 22 attempts. Friesen led the Bears with four, while Canham, Kennedy and Billy Johnstone each adding three.
 
The Bears, while not as efficient in the second, wasted little time jumping out to a healthy lead. Alberta led 16-10 at the technical timeout, cruising to a 25-17 second-set win.
 
The Huskies showed some fight in the third, as they improved their attack percentage by 30 points. Murray tallied six of his 14 kills in the third, as Saskatchewan held a slim lead at the tech, as well as a 21-20 lead late. However, Alberta ripped off four-straight points to take the third 25-22.
 
Game 2 of the best-of-three quarter-final series is set for 6:00 p.m. tomorrow night at Saville, and live online on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.