Men’s volleyball look to clinch Duckworth Challenge trophy against Wesmen

It’s been a trophy held downtown for the past three seasons, but Bisons men’s volleyball could be heroes on Wednesday night.

With Manitoba holding a 2-1 lead over Winnipeg in the 30^th Duckworth Challenge, men’s volleyball can clinch the best-of-five series with a victory.

The Duckworth Challenge sees the two cross-town rivals compete in women’s soccer, as well as men’s and women’s volleyball and basketball. With wins in soccer (Sep. 23) and men’s basketball (Jan. 14), the Bisons are one victory away from their first title since 2016-17. Manitoba leads the overall record 17-12.

This season, men’s volleyball holds a 2-2 record in matches against Winnipeg; the two meet a total of six times during 2021-22, with the last matchup happening this Saturday.

The match will also be meaningful outside of the Duckworth Challenge. The Wesmen currently lead Canada West’s (CW) East Division by a razor’s edge at 5-3, with one game in the win column separating Winnipeg, Saskatchewan (5-5), Manitoba (4-4) and Brandon (4-6). The top team in the division will host a first round CW playoff pool.

HOOFPRINTS

• Bisons are fourth in CW in total blocks (69)… third-year middle Brendan Warren leads the team with 26
• Ben Carleton leads Manitoba averaging 3.43 kills per set
• First-year left side Spencer Grahame entered the break red hot, with 32 kills in his last three matches
• Winnipeg’s Dylan Thiessen continues to pace CW with 4.48 kills per set… his season-high of 38 came Nov. 6 vs. Manitoba

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