They got a quick three from the Huskies.

The Portage Collegiate Institute Trojans varsity volleyball made quick work of their hosts on Tuesday, cruising past the Sturgeon Heights Huskies 3-0 (25-16, 25-22 and 25-19) in West Winnipeg Athletic Conference play.

Head coach Jason Green said the Trojans (3-1) controlled the first and final sets, but had to hold off a surging Huskies' squad in the middle.

"They gave us a really good fight in the second set," said Green. "They played really good defence and their blocking was pretty good. I will admit that we had some struggles hitting the ball against their defence.

"It took a real big hit to put a ball away. We couldn't give up a free ball or a tip or anything like that. They had good coverage."

Green said the Trojans' experience shone through, as they didn't let the Huskies' persistence rattle them, and they pulled out the set.

"We were going point-for-point with them for much of the second set," said Green. "I could call a timeout, but at the same time, the boys were holding their own. They kept their composure. I didn't see any real need to press any panic button.

"Their team got close late and their coach calls a timeout, and I went over a couple things that I wanted to focus on just to finish up."

In the face of some strong arms in their way, Gabe Lekhno and Jess Nichols found ways to get points, observed Green.

"Our power hitters, both Gabe and Jess did pretty well," said Green. "They stayed aggressive. They never let those blocks dictate their game.

"They went up and swung hard, and sometimes they'd use the block to score the point."

Green said the serving and first passes were clicking, leading to a tidy and efficient effort from PCI.

"The fact that we didn't make any errors is just a testament to the whole team," said Green. "We all played a pretty sound game.

"We didn't crumble when they were making their push at us. I certainly want to give credit to the whole team. They certainly all work hard, and sometimes, different guys step up, but we're going to win if they all play well."

Green said it looks like the Huskies, who have been dominant in recent years, are in a bit of a rebuild this season, so an effective game from the Trojans was good to run off with the sweep.

"I kind got a feel that if we play mistake-free ball that we should do okay," said Green. "They've always had a top team in our conference, maybe a third or fourth seed pretty much every year.

"This year, I think they're not as experienced as they have been in the past."

PCI will be back in action Thursday when they host the Oak Park Raiders in the west gym at 6:30 p.m.

dan.falloon@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: PDGdfalloon