WINNIPEG — Coming off a five-set loss the night before, the Manitoba Bisons men’s volleyball team were looking for a win today in the Investors Group Athletic Centre as they hosted the Saskatchewan Huskies.
The game started slow for Saskatchewan, giving an early lead to the Bisons. A big kill by Jake Rapin, setter for the Huskies, landed straight in the back right corner. This would create a jump in the Huskies’ energy and begin the Huskies’ attempt to cut the lead down. Dylan Mortensen, the outside hitter for the Huskies, dropped two beautiful spikes back-to-back in the first set. Mortensen has averaged 16.5 kills per game this season.
Both teams would be highly aggressive in their serves and attacks. With the score tied at 20-20, the first set would be extremely tight. It would end in a claustrophobic 25-22 for the Bisons. The last five points were almost entirely composed of service errors from both teams.
Despite the tough loss of the first set, the Huskies came unfazed into the second, not allowing the Bisons to take an early lead at all. The set was filled with close calls and fake spikes attempting to catch the defence in transition.
“Yesterday, Saskatchewan played on a really high level,” said Arnd Ludwig, head coach for the Bisons. “Our goal today was to be a little more disciplined. I think that was the key to our success today.”
The Bisons managed to punch through the Huskies defence just a little, gaining a three-point lead in the second, which after multiple rounds of back and forth, the Bisons would then score five points in a row, giving them an eight-point lead. The flawless streak would, unfortunately, end in a service error. Nevertheless, the Bisons would still manage to finish the set with a comfortable 25-14 margin.
A fresh set brought another chance for the Huskies. The Huskies started strong with a massive kill by Nick Barker, outside hitter for the Huskies. However, the Bisons responded with another big hit, refusing to give any leeway to the Huskies. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Zach Jansen, middle for the Bisons, kept pelting the Huskies with massive kills. The Huskies tried to tie up the six-point lead but were unsuccessful, losing the final set 25-23, and ultimately, the match 3-0.
“We did really bad pre-game, and it was converted to what we saw on the court,” said Sean McKay, head coach for the Huskies. “Their aggression was much better than ours.”
The Bisons face the Brandon Bobcats on Feb. 11, once again in their home gym.
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