Bisons women’s volleyball battle for playoff position

Rivalry aside, the stakes are high for Bisons women’s volleyball this weekend.

With the Wesmen in their gym — 6 p.m. on Friday night — the Bisons find themselves in a packed East Division, with Brandon (4-4), Regina (3-5), Winnipeg (3-5) and Manitoba (3-5) all within a game of each other.

That means there’ll be plenty of jockeying over the last five weeks of the season. The Bisons see the teams above twice each before the playoffs start on March 4.

Manitoba should feel confident coming into this matchup. They swept the Wesmen in their fall meeting on Nov. 4 and 6, winning both matches in four sets. The latter win was also their best offensive outing of the season, as the team hit .264 while making just 24 total errors.

Defence has been where the Bisons have really excelled this season, though. Leading Canada West in digs per set (16.55), they’ve been excellent at continuing rallies and taking advantage of errors.

Friday’s match is also a Duckworth Challenge event, although the trophy is already in hand for Manitoba.

A men’s volleyball win on Wednesday gave the Bisons a decisive 3-1 lead in the best-of-five series — wrapping up the school’s first win in the Duckworth Challenge since 2016-17. A trophy presentation will follow Friday’s match at IGAC.

HOOFPRINTS

• Rookies have powered Manitoba’s attack, as they’re led in kills per set by Keziah Hoeppner (3.16) and Ella Gray (2.85)
• Manitoba’s Katreena Bentley has been setting the table, leading Canada West with 11.24 assists per set
• Winnipeg’s player to watch is Ashleigh Laube, who tied a season-high 16 kills on Jan. 15 and has averaged 3.38 per set

Conference Statistics
U SPORTS Top 10