Box Score EDMONTON - Showing their No.1 CIS ranking, the University of Alberta Golden Bears earned their fourth-straight victory on the season, a four-set decision (25-12, 20-25, 25-18, 25-15) over the No.4 Brandon University Bobcats, Saturday night at Saville Community Sports Centre.

The 4-0 Bears had three players netting double-digit kills, sophomore right side/left side Ryan Nickifor leading with a game-high 16 kills while left sides Jay Olmstead and Ryley Barnes put up 15 apiece, Nickifor and Barnes also adding nine digs each. Fifth-year setter Jarron Mueller had 41 assists.

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Sam Tuivai spun 10 kills for the now 2-2 visitors and third-year setter David Stasica tallied 26 assists.

Barnes, who finished off the Bobcats on Friday night, got things started in the opening set on Saturday to give Alberta a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the set, gradually pulling away from the Bobcats before Olmstead made it 24-12 on his 700th career conference kill in Evergreen and Gold silks, a carry error by Brandon's outside hitter Daryl McCharles closing out the set.

Unfortunately for Alberta, errors seeped into their game in the second set, which the Bobcats extended to a healthy 10-3 lead but the resilient Bears refocused to the tune of a 7-1 run that left them down 11-10. In an effort to stall the growing momentum, Brandon head coach Grant Wilson called a timeout, seemingly working for the road squad as they grabbed the next three points but Alberta responded with three of their own.

Wilson's tactic turned out successfully, however, when sophomore setter Roy Ching tallied a trio of kills and an ace soon after to reclaim a considerable Bobcat lead, Tuivai knotting the match at 1-1 with his sixth kill on the night.

Yet the Bobcat offensive threesome of Ching, fourth-year middle Brendan White, and Tuivai could not match the output of Barnes, Nickifor, and Olmstead in the third set, respectivley netting six kills to Alberta's 10 and, as in the first set, the Bears chipped away to grow their lead before Barnes and attack miscues by Brandon put Alberta up two sets to one.

Momentum almost fully in the Bears' favour, 10-2 and 9-2 runs by the top-ranked team in CIS, with 13 kills from Alberta's top three offensive weapons gave the Bears a weekend series sweep over the defening Canada West champions.

The Bears head out on the road next weekend to face off against another tough opponent, the No.3 Trinity Western Spartans, while the Bobcats return home to face the UBC Okanagan Heat.