BRANDON – Continuing their hot play in 2016, the Brandon Bobcats made quick work of the Mount Royal Cougars Friday night, picking up a straight sets win. Set scores were 25-16, 25-14, 25-18.
 
The Bobcats utilized difficult serves and a potent block to come away with the quick win that took just over one hour. The win moves Brandon above .500 to 10-9, and gives the Bobcats their seventh straight win to remain perfect in 2016.
 
The 'Cats established their game plan early, jumping to an early 7-2 run in the first set thanks to accurate serves that put Mount Royal's serve receive under pressure. That would be the theme all night, as Brandon put up nine aces in the match to the Cougars four. The tough serving from Brandon kept the Cougars out of rhythm all night, which in turn held Mount Royal to a .080 attack efficiency.
 
Brandon was also efficient on offense, hitting .333 as a team, led by Shanlee McLennan's match-high 12 kills and .385 hitting percentage. McLennan also put up two aces, giving her 131 on her career, making her just three short of the all-time Canada West record for career aces.
 
Jodie Baker added eight kills and six blocks. Gillian Leech also finished with eight kills to go with 10 digs, while Breanne Sytnyk added seven kills and five blocks.
 
Bobcats coach Lee Carter credits his team's ability to serve and block, which give him and the Bobcats added motivation heading down the stretch.
 
"It's what's been our forte this whole second semester," says Carter. "We put a lot of pressure on them with our serving and we did a good job of digging their shots and scoring in transition and if we can maintain that we're going to be a force."
 
The Cougars were led by Kylie Willis' six kills. Carolina Alongi served three aces in a row to finish with 5.5 points, and Amy Gordon had 14 assists playing in her first CIS match in her hometown of Brandon.
 
The win moves Brandon above .500 for the first time this season. The loss drops Mount Royal's record to 9-10. The two teams will meet again in the rematch Saturday night in Brandon. First serve is scheduled for 5 pm.