Golden Bears advance to CW Semifinal with Game 3 win over Winnipeg

EDMONTON, AB – There will be a new Canada West men's volleyball champion in 2026, as the Alberta Golden Bears defeated the defending champion Winnipeg Wesmen 3-0 on Saturday night, advancing to the CW Final Four.

After a reverse-sweep 3-2 win for the Wesmen in Game 2 of their quarter-final series on Friday, the Bears avoided a scare in the third set on Saturday, clinching the series win with a 29-27 final set win. The series win sends the Golden Bears to Vancouver for next weekend's Final Four, hosted by UBC.

Dylan Martens led Alberta with 15 kills in Game 3, finishing the three-game series with 41 total. First team CW All-Star Jacob Sargent added 14 for the Bears, to go along with 10 from Matt Shand. Luke Weddell led the match with 39 assists, adding two aces and four digs.

"It was a battle, and we expected that from Winnipeg. The Wesmen are very good at changing on the fly, so all night we continued to change our game plan even from this morning," said second team conference All-Star Trent Cherewaty, who had four kills and a match-high 3.5 blocks. "Our bench is so supportive and strong. If somebody has to come out, we have full confidence in their ability to take over."

Luke Lodewyks led the Wesmen with 13 kills on just 24 swings, with Game 2 MVP Jaxon Rose adding 11. As a team, the Wesmen finished with 11 fewer kills than Alberta, while committing seven more errors in the loss.

The opening set was a replica of the first set from Game 2, with the Golden Bears squeaking out a tight 25-21 win in which the teams traded the lead three times, with five tied scores. Martens was excellent in the first, scoring four kills on just eight attempts. Shand added four kills and an ace. Lodewyks and Rose had four kills apiece in the first, however the Wesmen were undone by seven attack errors in the first.

Alberta earned a 2-0 lead thanks to an extremely efficient offensive second set. The Bears scored 14 kills on just 24 attempts, finishing the set with a .458 attack percentage. Alberta was also stellar on defence, finishing the set with five blocks, while forcing eight Wesmen attack errors. Martens had four of the Bears 14 kills in the second, while Sargent had five.

The third set was a treat for the fans in attendance, as the two rivals combined for a staggering 17 ties and seven lead changes. Tied at 20, the Bears won four of the next six points to earn a pair of match points. However, a kill by Lodewyks and a block tied the match at 24-24. What followed was absolute cinema, as Winnipeg had two set points negated, followed by two more saves on match point for Alberta. Tied at 27-27, Martens sealed the match with back-to-back kills.

Alberta will now set their sights on Trinity Western, who they will meet in the CW Semifinal next weekend.