Volleyball welcomes Alberta with plenty at stake

Coming off a sweep of MacEwan, the Bisons volleyball teams welcome Alberta for a critical two-game set. Click here to get tickets and here to follow online. 

Men’s volleyball (6-8) vs No. 1 Alberta (13-1), 6 pm Friday, 5 pm Saturday

After proving their skill level against perennial powerhouse Trinity Western in the opening weekend of the season, the Herd face another huge test as defending champion and No. 1 nationally ranked Alberta comes to town. The Golden Bears have won 13 games in a row and are four points up on Mount Royal for first place, while the Bisons are coming off a sweep of MacEwan, and are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with Thompson Rivers and Winnipeg. 

The Golden Bears have won the last six meetings against Manitoba, losing just three sets dating back to 2016. They lead the conference in a plethora of team stats, including hitting percentage, points per set, assists and kills per set.

Individually, middle Billy Johnstone and outsides Isaac Heslinga and Braedon Friesen are all hitting above .330 and are each in the top ten in that regard, while setter Cam Kern leads the conference with 10.72 assists per set. 

Service pressure will be key for the Bisons as they look to keep an efficient Golden Bears team out of system, while setting up their potent block to do damage. Left side Eric Ogaranko, who’s had a breakout year in 2022-23 and leads the Herd in multiple categories including service aces (19) and kills (115), will be one of the players to watch for the Herd. The former right side is coming off a career-high 17 kills last weekend against MacEwan, with his accuracy and consistency being a problem all year for the competition. 

Setter Jack Mandryk is also coming off a season’s best 49 assists from last Saturday’s game, and will reach the top 15 in all-time conference assists this weekend. He has 2,560 for his career and needs just 250 to reach the top ten. On the block, second-year Bison Jonah Dueck and Johnstone are both averaging over one block per set, creating an enticing matchup at the net, while former left side and fellow middle Jordon Heppner is hitting at .346. 

Women’s volleyball (8-6) vs Alberta (6-8), 7:45 Friday, 6:45 Saturday

Undefeated at home at 8-0, Manitoba looks to keep their impressive streak going against a Pandas team that’s just four points behind them for a playoff spot. The Bisons have lost just one set at Investors Group Athletic Centre this year and are just two points shy of a top-three spot in the conference, however the Pandas have had Manitoba’s number recently, winning seven of the last eight meetings dating back to 2015. 

It’s been a standout season for fourth-year outside hitter Lauryn Tremblay, who is second in the conference in kills, with 201. She and rookie outside Laila Johnston have combined for 348 on the year, accounting for most of the Panda’s damange on the attack. 

The All-Rookie battle between Johnston and Bisons first-year standout Raya Surinx will be one to watch. The latter is averaging over 3.5 kills per set and over four points per set, which are both top six stats in Canada West.

Surinx is also part of a Bisons defence that’s averaging 13.78 digs per set, which is sixth in the conference and one spot ahead of Alberta. Libero Julia Arnold leads the team with 177, while Surinx also has over 100 on the year. Andi Almonte and Katreena Bentley are also above 70 on the year for a Manitoba team that creates energy and momentum through their defence.