Written by: Kelly O'Donnell
WINNIPEG – The No. 10 Manitoba Bisons lost 3-1 (23-25, 21-25, 25-15, 17-25) to the Saskatchewan Huskies in their final men's volleyball match of 2017 at the Investors Group Athletic Centre, on Saturday, Dec. 2.
The match brings the Bisons record to 6-6, and the Huskies move to 5-7.
Bisons power Adam DeJonckheere led with 13 kills for Manitoba (.281), and power Scott Vercaigne followed with 10 kills (.160) for Manitoba. Saskatchewan was led with match-high 18 kills by Colin Fraser while Daulton Sinoski had match-high seven blocks.
"Adam really led the way, chasing balls down and making the tough plays for us when we needed them," said Vercaigne.
The first set was point-for-point, but Manitoba managed to pull ahead mid-set with a six-point lead (22-16). A big block by Huskies powers Dylan Mortensen and Daulton Sinoski brought momentum back for Saskatchewan. The Bisons then shanked two consecutive passes off of Sinoski's serves, and he continued to serve till the end. A big block on Bisons power Adam DeJonckheere and a hard spike cross court by Mortensen helped the Huskies finish strong, winning the first set 25-23 for Saskatchewan in a turn of events.
It was the Huskies turn to gain a six-point lead in the second set (22-16). Bisons right-side Kevin Negus challenged the lead with a solo block on Mortensen's power spike, but a missed serve by the Bisons gave it to Saskatchewan 25-21.
The Bisons brought the heat in the third set, leading 8-2 right off the bat. The Huskies kept up, but couldn't gain back the points they lost early on. Fans screamed when the Bisons ran up into the stands twice to make saves in the same rally. The exciting play brought Manitoba to win the set (25-15) and stay in the game.
In the final set, Saskatchewan gained a 20-12 lead. Huskies power Colin Fraser pulled out a mix of hard-driven spikes and roll shots, winning the final set after his backrow middle hit deflected off the Bisons block and landed out-of-bounds. Fraser dominated with 18 kills in the match, and eight digs.
"I'm frustrated, it's disappointing," said Vercaigne. "I feel like we had a lot of momentum going into that last set, but we let it slip away from us."
After the holidays, the men's team will head to Vancouver to play the UBC Thunderbirds on Jan. 5 at 9:30 p.m CT while Saskatchewan host Regina on the same weekend. All matches can be seen live on CanadaWest.TV.
Game leaders:
Kills:
Manitoba – Adam DeJonckheere 13
Huskies – Colin Fraser 18
Digs:
Manitoba – Dylan Sutherland 6
Huskies – Etienne Hagenbunch 9
Blocks:
Manitoba – Brendan Warren 6, Kevin Negus 6
Huskies – Daulton Sinoski 7