Bobcat Round Up

Since the last update, all four Bobcat teams had a crack at their University of Alberta counterparts January 29th and 30th. Both volleyball teams played host to U of A while the basketball teams headed to the home of the Golden Bears for their matchups.

Overall, Brandon teams were able to capture the W in 4 of the 8 games—a pretty good result considering that 3 out of four of the Alberta teams currently hold court on CIS’s top ten rankings in their respective sports.

The women’s Bobcat volleyball team encountered the most success in the gym, winning both games in a matchup that slated them as the underdogs—their CIS ranking held them in 9th position while the Golden Pandas were sitting ahead in the number 4 spot. Fast forward to this week’s rankings, and the Bobcats have stolen 4th place in the country, while Alberta moves back to 7th.

On a similar note, BU’s men’s volleyball team was able to celebrate their first-ever win over the seemingly perpetually-dominant Alberta Golden Bears. Paul Sanderson marked 28 kills on Friday’s win. They split the weekend, losing Saturday night by a hair in a battle that required 5 sets to decide a winner. Following the weekend, the Bobcats still hold tight to their number 9 ranking in CIS, while Alberta fell one spot to settle at 3rd.

The Lady ‘Cats basketball squad faced a strong opponent and fell in both games on the road. The Bobcats had a rough weekend for offense against the controlling Alberta team—who currently hold 8th place in the country—however, team standout Jayla Bousquet managed 12 points in the second battle.

In men’s hoops, Friday night’s clash was hard-won by the local team. Regulation play was just not enough time for a decision—which eventually ended after an exciting dose of double overtime 88-85. 5th year star Dany Charlery was once again clutch for the Brandon team, personally notching 34 points. Following that match, both teams sat dangerously close in standings, as each held a 7-10 record. Alberta moved slightly ahead with their Saturday night win but remaining playoff spots are still up in the air as of publication.

Here’s the score breakdown for the weekend:

Jan. 30 Basketball [M] U. of Alberta L: 67-71 Jan. 30 Basketball [W] U. of Alberta L: 37-85 Jan. 30 Volleyball [W] U. of Alberta W: 3-2 Jan. 30 Volleyball [M] U. of Alberta L: 2-3 Scores courtesy of: www.brandonu.ca/athletics