Edmonton, AB – Mo Likness and Cailin Bitter each knocked down four aces as the UFV Cascades took down the Alberta Pandas in five sets on Friday night.

The Cascades prevailed by set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-17, 16-25, and 16-14 to improve their record to 6-5 on the year, while the Pandas fall to 5-6 this season. 

After the Pandas took the opening set, UFV built a 24-21 lead in the second on the back of three Likness aces. Alberta closed the gap to 24-23, but on their third set point Gabrielle Attieh knocked down a kill to take it. 

The Cascades took the third set handily after gaining a 19-13 lead and closing it out 25-17. 

The Pandas returned the favour in the fourth after they took a 21-14 lead to finish it 25-16.

The teams traded blows throughout the final set, but with the score level at 14 the Cascades managed a kill from Lauren Attieh and then a block by Gabrielle Attieh and Likness to seal the match. 

"I think we faced an opponent that knows us quite well," noted UFV head coach Janelle Rozema, who previously spent seven years as an assistant coach with the Pandas. "They are known for their opponent prep, so we tried to do a few new things tonight."

Bitter led the Cascades offence on the day providing 46 set assists in addition to her four aces. Gabrielle Attieh knocked down a team-high 21 kills, while Lauren Attieh added 17 of her own. 

Lauren Tremblay paced the Pandas with 20 kills on the night, while Laila Johnston had 17, and Justine Kolody provided 54 assists.

"We had a plan for what new things we wanted to show each day, so we have to be brave and mix in some more new things with the things that have worked for us tomorrow."

The two teams face off once again tomorrow, as UFV finishes off their fall semester of games. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (PT) and can be watched live on Canada West TV.