Abbotsford, BC – Mandi Feist posted a team-high 17 kills and three aces, as the UFV Cascades notched a combined 15 aces in a four-set win (25-23, 25-15, 26-28, 25-20) over the Regina Cougars on Saturday in Abbotsford. 

The Cascades record improves to 2-2 with the win, while the Cougars fall to 2-4.

How it happened:
The Cascades jumped out to an early lead after a Naomi Unger serving run made it 9-3. The Cougars would push back to even it up at 21 but some timely blocks, and a late kill from Mandi Feist gave UFV the opener 25-23.

UFV opened the second set with a 6-1 run with Lauren Attieh at the service line, and a pair of aces from Cailin Bitter would make it 15-7. The Cascades would continue to cruise through the set, before a Zoe Arca ace finished it off 25-15.

Regina found their footing in the third. After falling behind 8-3, they battled back to level the score at 15. The teams traded points to 26 apiece, before kills from Zoey Thompson and Piper Harkness finished it off for the Cougars.

The Cascades fell behind 16-12 in the fourth, but a six-serve run from Lauren Attieh was punctuated by a pair of aces and UFV battled back to take a 20-17 lead. A pair of Feist kills was followed up by a Regina error down the stretch, and the Cascades closed out the match 25-20.

Notable:
UFV posted 15 aces as a team, compared to five for the Cougars. 

Feist posted a team-high 17 kills on a .308 hitting percentage to go with three aces and 12 digs for the Cascades, while Talia Attieh added 10 kills and three blocks, and Lauren Attieh posted nine kills and three aces.

Regina's Jordy MacEachern had 17 kills to lead her team, while Anna Schultz and Zoey Thompson each had eight. 

Quotable:
UFV outside hitter Mandi Feist

"We served really well, with 15 aces as a team, and I think that puts a lot of pressure on the other team. It puts them in bad scenarios where they will have to be out of system. Overall, I think we played well as a team. We had our ups and downs, but what really showed was our mental toughness to push through and take the win."

"Janelle taught me the new serve in about 10 minutes, and it was going okay in practice, but I guess when the adrenaline gets going in the game it worked out pretty well. I found a lot of identity in my spin, but I have been dealing with a bit of an issue, so it's nice to sort of get something similar in a way that is easier on my body."

Up next:
The Cascades head on the road for their next two games against the Alberta Pandas on November 7 and 8. Both matches can also be seen live on Canada West TV.

To keep up with all the action follow the Cascades on social media at @ufvcascades, and visit the UFV Athletics website at gocascades.ca.