The Manitoba Bisons made some noise in Kenyon Court Friday night after pushing the MRU men’s volleyball team to three close sets before the Cougars could claim the victory. Mount Royal defeated the visitors 25-23, 25-19 and 25-22.
Middle Jonah Dueck was a constant threat to Mount Royals defence, finishing the night with a career-high nine kills.
By the mid-way point in the first set, it was near identical play with the score shifting back-and-forth. Max Haronga was a game changer for the Cougars, taking them on a three point run before Mantioba’s head coach, Arnd “Lupo” Ludwig, called for time out. Shortly after MAN was back in it, beating the Cougars in a two v one joust at the net.
Manitoba out hit Mount Royal 44 per cent compared to their 28 per cent, but the Cougars took the set 25-23.
Josh Jehle for Manitoba was a life line, diving into play for a pancake save to keep the team alive, finding his way to any space on the floor to be a consistent support.
In the second set MRU started utilizing their back line, with Byam hammering the ball deep into Manitoba’s zone. The Cougars seemed to find a rhythm, and the Bison’s couldn’t find a gap.
The home team improved their hitting percentage to 33 in the second set, and took it from the Bisons’ 25-19, bringing their lead to 2-0. The set was won after a miscommunication on Manitoba’s side.
Increased pressure from the Bisons’ made for another tight set in the third, with Manitoba right on the heels of Mount Royal with two points remaining in the set, and the game. This was enough to keep the energy high but not enough to overtake the set and push the game to four.
Even distribution on the court was one of the key elements in the win for MRU. Five players had over five kills tonight, with Luis Lange leading the charge with eight.
Lange was closely followed by Chris Byam and Jacob Van Geel who each put down seven.
Butler was the star of the night with four digs and 16 receptions. He was solid on the floor and refused to allow the Bisons a spot.
Both teams return to Kenyon Court tomorrow night for a 7 p.m. start. Catch the game on campus or on Canada West TV.