Golden Bears open playoffs with straight-sets win over Winnipeg

Recap by University of Alberta Sports Information

EDMONTON, AB – In a rematch of the 2025 Canada West Final, the Alberta Golden Bears exacted a margin of revenge on Thursday night, opening the 2026 post-season with a 3-0 win over Winnipeg to open their quarter-final series.
 
Jacob Sargent and Dylan Martens led Alberta with 11 kills each, with second team CW All-Star Trent Cherewaty adding six. Setter Luke Weddell dished out a match-high 37 assists to go along with a team-high six digs.
 
"We split with the Wesmen earlier this season, so we had a bit of a bitter taste in our mouth. It was good to get the jump on them early tonight," said Weddell. "I have a lot of trust for all our hitters, and when they are all humming like they did tonight, it makes it hard on me deciding who to go to, but I like when that's the case."
 
Luke Lodewyks led the visitors with 10 kills for a team that finished with 11 fewer than Alberta in the loss. Jaxon Rose and Easton Dick added six each for the Wesmen, who will head into Game 2 tomorrow facing elimination.
 
Not much separated the rivals in the opening set, as Alberta squeaked out a 25-22 win. The Bears held a 16-12 kill advantage in the opener, thanks to four kills each from Sargent and Martens. Lodewyks did his part to keep the Wesmen within reach, scoring five kills in the opener.
 
Alberta found another gear in the second, holding momentum throughout a 25-17 set win. The Bears scored 13 kills, adding three aces and two blocks. Four of those Alberta kills were courtesy of Martens, who had a game-high eight after two sets. On the other side of the net, Alberta's defence caused problems for the Wesmen, as they were forced into seven attack errors and only 10 kills.
 
The third was much of the same, as the Bears took an early lead and rode it to a 25-20 win. The Bears hit an extremely efficient .462 in the third, scoring 14 kills on just 26 attempts. Trying to get the Bears out of system, the Wesmen turned up the heat on their serve in the final set, but committed eight service errors without an ace in the third.
 
Game 2 of the best-of-three quarter-final goes tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. at Saville Community Sports Centre.