MANITOBA - The Manitoba Bisons had a tough back-and-forth game against  the visiting Calgary Dinos for their women's volleyball 2014-15 Canada West season opener at the Investors Group Athletic Centre on Thursday, October 9. In the end, the defending CIS champions were defeated by the Dinos in a close 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 19-25, 15-10) match.

The Bisons were constantly battling to take the lead after a close loss in the first set, but the visitors stayed strong to win the match with a 15-10 win in the fifth set. 

"We were down 2-1 and it was good to get to the fifth set," said Head Coach Ken Bentley, who is embarking on his 29th year with the Bisons.

Last year, the Bisons defeated the Dinos both times they met on the road during the regular season. The last time Calgary beat Manitoba in a regular season match was in 2011-12 season.  The Dinos were able to get that monkey off their backs with a hard-fought win at the U of Manitoba campus.

The home team started the first set strong after the opening ceremony of the CIS banner unveiling prior to the beginning of the game – leading 10-4 at one point. That lead soon evaporated as the Dinos clawed their way back to tie it up at 15-15. The set was close the rest of the way with Calgary taking a win 25-23 after a big kill by outside hitter Ali Woolley.

The second set proved to be another close call with the Bisons taking a hard-earned win at 25-22. They gained momentum after a big kill by setter Brittany Habing, which was followed by her own three consecutive service aces to bring the Bisons to a 12-7 lead. Despite the Dinos best efforts, the home side would ride this lead to a win in the second set. Bringing the match to a tie at one set each.

The third set ended 25-19 for the visiting Dinos, after they grabbed an early lead and never let go. And the fourth set ended 25-19 for the home team, setting the stage for a fifth set showdown in the first game for both teams.

Setter Jordhynn Guy, had a impressive game with several big kills that gave the visiting Dinos the momentum they needed to fight their way to a big win in the fifth set.

Leading the kill stats with 29 was Bison Rachel Cockrell. The second-most kills belonged to Calgary's Janna Ogle, with 18, and three other players in double-digits. Each team had an impressive assist leader, with 44 assists for the Bisons' Brittany Habing and 37 for the Dinos' Jordhynn Guy.  All the kill attempts led to many impressive digs by both teams, with Bison Caleigh Dobie and Dino Amber Brown tied with 19 each and several others in the double-digits on both teams.

The two teams will face each other at the same time tomorrow (Fri., Oct. 10) at Investors Group Athletic Centre at 6 p.m. CT.  "It's a tough environment to play in," says Bentley before saying that he is confident his team will be, "[play] cleaner in general" come tomorrow.

Game Notes: Preceding tonight's season opener, the Manitoba Bisons had their 2013-2014 women's volleyball CIS championship celebrated with their undefeated championship run rewarded with the official unveiling of the championship banner.