Heslinga, Martens lead Bears to quarter-final win over Windsor

BRANDON, MB – Two-time U SPORTS Player of the Year Isaac Heslinga powered the Golden Bears to a 3-0 win over the Windsor Lancers in their U SPORTS quarter-final clash on Friday afternoon.

Heslinga finished with a match-high 15 kills, adding seven digs and five total blocks. Sophomore Dylan Martens added 12 kills for a Bears team that finished with a .420 attack percentage in the win. 

Alberta will now move on to play Sherbrooke in the semifinal in a rematch of the 2024 U SPORTS Final, won 3-2 by the Bears. The Bears and Vert et Or will meet at 7:00 p.m. MT on Saturday. 

The defending champion Golden Bears cruised through the first two sets, needing just 45 minutes to go up 2-0. The third set was a battle, needing 72 points and taking as long as the first two sets combined. Alberta eventually won the marathon 37-35, taking the match in three sets. 

Luke Weddell dished out a match-high 35 assists for Alberta, with middles Owen Harris and Trent Cherewaty adding five kills each. 

Gustavo Siquiera led Windsor with 11 kills on 25 attempts. The Lancers had just six fewer kills than the Bears, but had 13 more attack errors, and four more receiving errors. Windsor was put out of rhythm by the Bears service game, which had six aces in the win. Windsor will now play Western in the Consolation Semifinal on Saturday morning. 

The Bears were excellent in attack in the first two sets, finishing the first with 11 kills and a .625 %, followed by eight kills and a .412 % in the second. 

Thanks to the Alberta serve, the Lancers had 14 kills and 14 errors in the first two sets. 

The third set was by far the best, with the two teams combining for 43 kills and just 11 errors.