BRANDON, Man. – The Bobcats' offence was dialed in as the defending conference champions defeated the Mount Royal Cougars in straight sets on Saturday night.
 
The opening set saw Brandon hit .556 while scoring 10 kills on 18 attempts with no errors. BU also added five-and-half team blocks in the first.
 
"Our first touch was the key to that," said second-year outside hitter Robin Baghdady. "We served pretty well and put them under pressure. Our passing was almost perfect in that set and that allowed our hitters to put up that percentage."
 
Both teams put on a hitting display in the middle frame. The Cougars finished the second set at .345, while the Bobcats hitting percentage was a smooth .625.
 
The Bobcats took command of the third set with a 9-1 lead. Mount Royal rallied back, which included a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 22-20, but Brandon held down the fort.
 
Baghdady had a match-high 12 kills on 20 attempts with no errors for the Bobcats, who made just three hitting errors overall.
 
Chayse Warkentin was near perfect with four kills on five attempts, while Mason Metcalf was involved in eight total blocks.
 
Matt Saly scored a team-high nine kills for the Cougars, while Tyler Chernishenko led the match with 12 digs for Mount Royal.
 
"Every team in Canada West is really good and will push you," said second-year middle Luis Lange, who scored six kills. "You cannot afford to take a weekend off."
 
The Bobcats' record sits at 7-1 heading into a road trip to Edmonton to meet the MacEwan Griffins this coming weekend. Meanwhile, the Cougars sit two matches below the .500 mark at 4-6. Mount Royal welcomes the Alberta Golden Bears on November 22-23.