By Danielle Doiron

WINNIPEG - The University of Manitoba Bisons women's volleyball team is still looking for its first win of 2016. The Bisons lost their second straight with a 3-1 (17-25, 26-28, 25-17, 15-25) result to the #2 Trinity Western University Spartans on Saturday, January 23 night at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
 
Trinity Western has now won four straight and boasts a 17-1 record, while Manitoba is now 2-14 after losing their fifth game in a row.
 
Trinity Western's Sophie Carpenter led both teams with 17 kills, while Kalena Schulz and Tori Studler each had 10 for Manitoba.
 
"I thought we were a lot better [than Friday night]," Bison head coach Ken Bentley said after the game. "Our defense was better. We did a better job, and we fought more than before. We played tough, and it was more indicative of the kind of play I'd like to see going forward."
 
The first set started close, but Trinity Western quickly gained the lead. The visitors earned six points on service aces, including four from Kristin Anton. The Bisons fought back with two aces of their own, but Manitoba couldn't generate enough attacks to win. Sarah Klassen led the Bison attackers with two kills in the set and only two other Manitoba players had a kill in the first. The Spartans won the first set 25-17.
 
The Bisons took an early lead in the second, but the Spartans quickly tied the game at 5 after a disputed bad set call against Manitoba's Sydney Booker. The Bisons fought back to regain the lead and had a 16-11 advantage at the technical timeout, but the Spartans weren't done yet. Trinity Western's Elizabeth Wendel served four aces on five rallies to tie the set at 22. The teams tied four more times before Trinity Western took the set 28-26.
 
Manitoba took control of the closely matched third after a kill by Kalena Schulz tied the set at 9. The teams tied twice more before the Bisons took over and scored on five consecutive rallies.  Two kills from Trinity Western veteran Sophie Carpenter helped bring the Spartans within two, but it wasn't enough. Manitoba answered with six straight rally wins to claim the third 25-17.
 
Close game continued in the fourth, but strong blocks helped Trinity Western take over the lead. The Spartan attackers sent the Bisons scrambling across the court, while the visitors had a 16-9 lead at the technical timeout. Trinity Western held the Bisons to only six more points in the set, while the Spartans took the set 25-15.
 
"Today was a big step forward, but we still need to pass the ball better and maintain intensity," Bentley said.
 
The Spartans have a bye next week, but the Bisons will take on the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack on the road starting Friday, Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. CT. All games will stream live on canadawest.tv.
 
Set scores:
Manitoba         17-26-25-15: 1
Trinity Western 25-28-17-25: 3

Kill leaders:
Manitoba: Kalena Schulz (10), Tori Studler (10) and Haille Bujan (9)
Trinity Western: Sophie Carpenter (17), Elizabeth Wendel (14) and Rowyn Neufeld (9)
 
Dig leaders:
Manitoba: Caleigh Dobie (14), Kalena Schulz (11) and Tori Studler (8)
Trinity Western: Vanessa Cornwall (13), Sophie Carpenter (12) and Mariel Garcia (9)
 
Assist leaders:
Manitoba: Sydney Booker (35) and four players (1)
Trinity Western: Vanessa Cornwall (40), two players (3) and Sophie Carpenter (2)