Box Score

The University of Regina's women's volleyball team continued its winning ways with a straight-sets victory (25-23, 25-12, 25-18) over No. 6-ranked Manitoba on Friday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The win gives the Cougars (8-9) victories in five consecutive matches as the U of R pulls into sole possession of seventh place in the conference standings.

Michelle Sweeting (pictured) and Desiree Ates were both spectacular in the win, as Sweeting had 14 kills and led all players with a .500 hitting percentage and Ates had 12 kills while hitting .455 for the match. Ates added 10 digs for the match's lone double-double, while rookie setter Leah Shevkenek had 37 assists and nine digs.

Taylor Pischke led Manitoba's attack with 11 kills and just two errors on 25 attacks for a .360 hitting percentage. Caleigh Dobie had a team-high seven digs for the Bisons (10-7) while Rachel Cockrell had seven kills and led all players with five blocks.

The first set saw the Cougars jump out to a 10-5 lead, but Manitoba went on a run with Cockrell serving and took their first lead of the set just before the media timeout. The teams traded leads three more times down the stretch, including late in the set when three straight U of R points – on kills by Tori Glynn and Ates and a big block by Molly Wade-Cummings and Chelsea Ziolkowski – turned a 23-22 deficit into a 25-23 victory.

The Cougars simply dominated the second set, hitting .480 and cruising to a 25-12 victory. They continued that momentum in the third, jumping out to a 10-3 lead and mostly trading points for the rest of the set en route to a 25-18 win that put away the match.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday night at the CKHS. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.

NOTES: The Cougars could move even higher in the Canada West standings on Friday, as a win by UBC Okanagan over Alberta would pull the U of R into a tie for sixth with the Pandas ... the Cougars hit .337 as a team in the win, their second highest percentage this season after last Saturday's win at Saskatchewan.