Brandon, Man. – The defending conference champion Bobcats swept the Mount Royal Cougars in Canada West men's volleyball action on Friday night.
 
The set scores were 25-21, 25-19 and 25-20.
 
"I think we picked up some confidence as we went along," said fifth-year setter Reece Dixon. "We had somewhat of a slow start, but our service pressure got better and we were able to pass the ball a little better. We got more comfortable and put the pressure on them."
 
Brandon hit .446 overall and cut down on the service errors from their previous outing. The 'Cats missed 14 serves and added four service aces.
 
The Bobcats and Cougars exchanged runs in the opening set with Mount Royal up 20-19. BU scored back-to-back points including a combo block from Chayse Warkentin and Dixon to put the Bobcats ahead 21-20. The first set was all square at 21-21 before Brandon rallied off four straight points, ending with an emphatic block by Seth Friesen. Brandon's offence ran on a .545 hitting percentage in the process.
 
In the second, Brandon overcame an early 7-2 deficit to lead 16-10 at the technical timeout. The Bobcats' 5-1 run had them in front 17-12. The Cougars countered with a 3-0 run down the stretch, but that is as close as they would get. Brandon secured the middle frame by winning the final three points. BU's hitting percentage was .458 in the second set.
 
The Bobcats built a 12-7 lead in the third and held a 16-10 advantage at the technical timeout. The cushion stood strong as both teams traded momentum swings the rest of the way.
 
Robin Baghdady led BU with nine kills, while Elliott Viles had eight kills and a match-high 20 digs as the Bobcats improved to 6-1.
 
Trent Mounter was the top scorer with 14 kills as the Cougars slipped below .500 at 4-5.
 
"We kept with it, even though some things did not go our way," said Keal Prince, who had a match-high 29 assists for Mount Royal. "The Bobcats played great, but we just got to keep playing our game and it will come."
 
The Bobcats and Cougars complete the weekend series with the rematch at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday at the Healthy Living Centre.