REGINA, Sask. - The University of Saskatchewan Huskies will head directly to the Canada West Quarterfinals this postseason, securing a first round bye with a 3-1 win over the Regina Cougars Thursday night (Feb. 12) in the Queen City. After dropping the opening set, the Dogs rattled off three straight wins to secure their 11th victory of the 2025-26 campaign and clinch a top-six seed in the conference standings. Set scores were 22-25, 27-25, 25-16, and 25-18.

THe opening set belonged to Regina, who used a sharper attack (15 kills on .133 hitting) to counter Saskatchewan's stout defensive presence at the net. The Huskies opened with an early 3–0 run, but Regina responded with several multi‑point bursts, including a 5‑0 stretch that flipped the frame in their favour. Despite Saskatchewan climbing back to within one late, Regina's steadier side‑out play sealed the 25–22 victory. 

Saskatchewan's offence found a much-needed gear in the second set, producing 18 kills on an impressive .298 hitting clip while limiting themselves to just four errors. The set featured 14 ties as both teams traded runs, but key late stops and improved first‑touch consistency allowed the Huskies to control the final rallies. A pair of late kills helped push Saskatchewan to a tight 27–25 win, evening the match.

In the third, the Huskies dominated, hitting .471 with 16 kills and no attack errors, their cleanest frame of the night. Saskatchewan stormed out to a 7–2 lead, forcing two Regina timeouts before the midpoint. Their serve pressure also paid off, resulting in three aces in the set to keep the Cougars off balance. Regina never mounted a sustained run, and Saskatchewan cruised to a 25–16 win and a 2–1 edge.

Regina attempted to reset in the fourth, taking an early lead after capitalizing on a cluster of Huskies errors, but Saskatchewan's blocking once again became a factor. The Huskies totaled three blocks in the frame and forced the Cougars into eight attack errors, resulting in a .000 hitting line for Regina in the set. Saskatchewan's balanced offence, with 14 kills from five different hitters, helped power a late 6–1 surge that put the match out of reach in a 25–18 finale.

Saskatchewan's balanced offence drove the four-set win, with Rosetta Cyr (15 kills, .220), Taryn Hannah (13 kills, .275, 14 digs) and Keely Anderson (12 kills, .270, 5 blocks) leading the way. Setter Tielle Hagel anchored the attack with 39 assists, 11 digs and 4 blocks, while libero Mary Rioflorido posted a match‑high 25 digs to stabilize the back row.

Saskatchewan will close out the regular season tomorrow night at Regina's Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport with the first serve set for 7:00 PM.