EDMONTON – In a showdown of perennial rivals, the No. 3 Alberta Pandas halted a short losing-streak with a straight-sets victory (25-17, 26-24, 25-18) over the No. 9 UBC Thunderbirds, Friday night at Saville Community Sports Centre.

Fourth-year outside hitter Meg Casault spun a game-high 15 kills, adding an ace and 1.5 blocks to hit 1,000 career conference points with Alberta. Fellow fourth-year outside hitter Karly Janssen recorded 10 kills, three aces, three solo blocks, and two block assists. Third-year setter put up a game-high 32 assists.

Senior left side Alissa Coulter (Calgary) had a team-high eight kills for the T-Birds, sophomore middle Ciara Hanly (Calgary) coming in second with seven. Third-year setter Alessandra Gentile (Port Moody, B.C.) added 23 assists.

With both teams vying for a home playoff series, the two squads started tentatively, inching forward on the scoreboard to 7-5 before the Pandas snuck in a small 3-0 run before the teams continue to go point-for-point. That quick run made the difference, though, keeping the Pandas ahead before they broke free, taking an 11-4 run to hit 24-15. The T-Birds stayed alive momentarily off a long serve and an ace by Gentile, but Casault's fifth kill of the set went off the block and fell into the back of the UBC court to give the home team the 1-0 set lead.

Trailing 9-8 in the second set, UBC scored five straight points - four of which came on Gentile's serve - to take a 13-9 lead. But the CIS and Canada West silver medalists fought back, tying things up at 16. Showing again why the teams match up so well, the squads climbed up the scoreboard with multiple tie scores, the Pandas edging ahead 25-24 when Janssen placed a serve right in front of T-Bird libero Samantha Patko (Vancouver). Not surprisingly, Casault netted match point, finishing a long rally with another kill of the block, this time landing in the crowd.

The final set continued the war of attrition of the inter-provincial rivals before Alberta exploded with a 14-4 run, Janssen personally chipping in three kills, an ace, and a block assist, to get the Pandas to 24-17. A Courtney Yoo serve into the net shortly stopped the momentum, but fourth-year outside hitter Kacey Otto finalized the game with a cross-court kill off UBC left side Danielle Brisebois (Bolton, Ont.), who directed it into the crowd.

The now 14-3 Pandas and 11-4 Thunderbirds meet again tomorrow for the rematch, game start going at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT.