WINNIPEG — The Bisons women’s volleyball team improved to 15-2 at home dating back to last season, completing a weekend sweep of the Regina Cougars 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-20) on Saturday afternoon at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Manitoba didn’t lose a set all weekend, showcasing their depth.
A total of 13 players saw the court on Saturday, led by right side Ella Gray’s ten kills and .333 hitting percentage, along with left side Raya Surinx, who had the identical kill total and attacking percentage. Setter Katreena Bentley dished out 29 assists, with seven different players recording at least a kill, while SAIT transfer Elia Falcone finished off the third set, adding an assist.
Chelsea Siebenga also stepped up with Surinx unavailable during the first set due to a floor burn that resulted in blood. She had two kills in two sets played.
“We’ve had so many key additions this year, and last year too,” Gray said postgame. “Chelsea and Elia are crazy, they’re so awesome, they’re so good. They really elevate our play in practices, in games. It allows us to have more depth in our games. If we need them, we can grab them.”
Manitoba broke an 8-8 tie wide open in the first set, scoring ten of the next 12 points to run away with things. Middle Eve Catojo was critical during the run, recording a solo block and a kill back to back that led to a Regina timeout.
Shortly after, Surinx had to be subbed out due to blood. Siebenga came in and promptly smashed home a kill, giving the Herd a 16-9 lead at the time. A Catojo service ace helped end the set, with Bentley distributing nine assists, with six different players tallying a kill.
Gray and Surinx took the game over in the second. The former hit .538, combining for 14 kills with Surinx.
It was 18-4 at one point for the Bisons, but Regina cut the lead down to six thanks in large part to Manitoba errors. But when she was needed, Gray stepped up with back-to-back kills on line shots, as Manitoba held things down for the seven point set win.
“I feel like I could be getting better at my line shots, but I really tried to work hard at the end of last season and coming into this season on that,” Gray added. “I feel like that’s a really big tool to have, especially on the right side. I have been getting more confident in them for sure.”
Middle Brenna Bedosky, yesterday’s player of the game, set the tone for Manitoba in the third, recording a solo block that held Manitoba maintain a five point lead for most of the set.
She finished with six points on the day, including three kills and a service ace, while the versatile Light Uchechukwu dug the ball relentlessly, recording ten digs, along with an assist, while libero Julia Arnold closed things out with 13 digs. The pair, along with Surinx, all had at least ten digs in a well-rounded showing.
Next up is a massive road series against Fraser Valley next weekend, the only team to beat the Bisons at home in 2022-23. The two teams were voted first and second in the coaches poll, setting up what should be a thriller.