Written By: David Koroma
MANITOBA – The University of Manitoba men's volleyball team successfully beat back the Calgary Dinos at the Investors Group Athletic Centre on Thursday, October 9, following a tight match that saw them win 3-1 (24-26, 25-17, 25-21, 26-24).
"Both teams had their jitters," says Bisons Head Coach Garth Pischke, who is starting his 33rd year with the Bisons men's volleyball team.
The two teams ended up splitting wins during the regular season last year, while the Bisons were on the road. Tomorrow, Calgary will try to duplicate that history with a win over the hosting Bisons at 6 p.m. CT at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. When asked about tomorrow's game, Pischke says, "we have to stop their setter from scoring… one time is too many."
The Bisons were up 20-14 in the first set when a big kill by Calgary's middle hitter Sean Tuff changed the momentum for the visitors. They would rally to tie the set at 24, before a kill by Dino outside hitter Connor Frehlich was followed by a Bison attack error leading to a 26-24 loss for the home team's first set of the year.
After a close start to the second set, Manitoba started to pull away after a big kill by outside hitter Adam DeJonckheere to give them a five-point lead. The set ended with two consecutive kills from Bison left side Kevin Falconer, leading to a comfortable 25-17 win to tie the match.
The third set was a constant battle for both teams. While the home team was ahead for most of the set, the visiting Dinos were never far behind. Only after the 20 point mark was there more than three points separating them. The set ended 25-21 with a big kill from team co-captain, middle hitter Ken Rooney.
The fourth and final set was another hard-fought battle for the home team. With no more than four points between the teams at any time in the set, the Dinos tried hard to send the match to a fifth set. In the end, the Bisons' co-captain Falconer sealed their fate with a final kill to win the match 26-24.
DeJonckheere led the Manitoba Bisons in kills with 15 while Falconer and Rooney racked up 13 and 12, respectively. Calgary hitter, Frehlich, was close behind with 14 kills while the rest of his team was in the single digits.