SASKATOON, SK –After a Friday night victory over the Manitoba Bisons, the Saskatchewan Huskies were looking to capitalize on their performance and sweep the weekend series. These two teams left everything on the court tonight, but it was the Bisons would take the win in five sets.
The first set saw teams rally back and forth before Manitoba established a run to go up 9-5 before a Saskatchewan timeout. The lead would grow to seven before another Huskie timeout. Saskatchewan would respond and push ahead at 22-21 for their first lead in the game. Manitoba would end up getting the better of them, taking the first set 30-28.
The pace of play was more evenly matched in the second set. While the Bisons would start with a 17-7 lead, the Huskies would find their groove, tying the game at 16-16. The Huskies would be victorious this time around, taking the second set 26-24.
Things would progress in the third set in a similar manner as the second, with neither team dominating on the court. Tied at 10-10, Manitoba would find their rhythm, pushing the Huskie defence and taking the third set 25-20.
Down two sets to one, the fourth set was a must win for the Huskies. After a slow start that saw the Huskies behind 6-3, the team would push back to tie things up at 9-9. The set would belong to the Huskies from there, winning the set 25-20 and forcing the fifth.
The fifth set was truly a battle of wills, as neither team would give up an inch. It was back and forth all set with things tied up at 13-13. Manitoba would go on a two-point run to seal the deal, taking the fifth set 15-13 and the Saturday win.
Dylan Mortensen had another strong game with 23 kills. Teammates Levi Olson and Jack McGeough would each finish with 10 kills apiece. Manitoba’s Nicoles Carter led the way for the Bisons with 19 kills. Eric Ogaranko had 17 kills while Jack Mandryk had 45 assists for Manitoba.
The Huskies are off next weekend before heading to Brandon after the bye to take on the Bobcats. The live stream of the games will be available on CanadaWest.TV.