WINNIPEG — After a first set filled with errors, the Saskatchewan Huskies cleaned up their act to beat the Manitoba Bisons in men’s volleyball on Friday night.
The win in four sets (20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-20) moves the Huskies to 8-7 and within a game of the Winnipeg Wesmen at the top of the east division. Manitoba falls to 6-9 with three matches to go in their regular season.
Visiting IGAC for the second time in four weeks, the Huskies were their own worst enemies early in the match. They committed nine service errors and five attack errors in the first set, and the Bisons had no problem capitalizing — establishing their attack through outsides Ben Carleton and Spencer Grahame — to win the set 25-20.
After that point, though, Saskatchewan sharpened their play. Setter Jacob Rapin passed the ball well on offence and in transition, racking up 32 assists, and two Huskies hitters — Levi Olson with nine kills (.400) and Dylan Mortensen with 13 (.250) — were the main beneficiaries.
“[Jacob] set a great game tonight,” said Olson. “Especially in the first set, we couldn’t give him many good passes, but he was able to get some good outs and balls to hit. Overall, great game by him.”
In the second set, the Bisons opened strong with Grahame and Carleton in the front row. The two traded attacks for a 6-1 run, giving the Herd a 9-6 lead early.
The Huskies started to figure out the Bisons block after, though, finding the angles and going on a 10-1 run of their own — one that was bridged by the technical timeout. The lead was narrow, though, and the Bisons got a big Carleton kill at 19-21 to give his home gym some life, but the Huskies locked down after, winning the set 25-23.
The third set began as a big arm showdown between Mortenson and Carleton, as two of the top hitters in Canada West traded blows. An ace by the Aussie Carleton made it 5-5, but the Huskies responded with a 4-0 run shortly after to take a 14-9 lead.
The Bisons pushed back. Veteran left side Owen Schwartz had two kills, a block and some spectacular digs in the middle of the set to help narrow Saskatchewan’s lead to 16-14. The offence around Schwartz never managed to establish itself though, as the Bisons hit -.040 as a team and lost the set 21-25.
“[Owen] was really good on defence,” said Bisons head coach Lupo Ludwig. “He’s on the court because of that and his passing is great — those are his strengths. Today, he was very strong in the back row.”
The fourth saw the Huskies get an early lead again. A kill-ace combination from Olson put the Huskies up 15-8 and while Manitoba would try some substitutions, they couldn’t find an extended run to get back in the set. The Huskies would close things out 25-20.
The two teams finish their weekend series at IGAC tomorrow. First serve is at 6 p.m.