No. 6 Bisons put on a show in win over No. 8 Spatans

by Thomas Shirtliffe, U of Manitoba Sports Info Assistant

Archive photo courtesy U of Manitoba Athletics: With a sweep of Trinity Western, Manitoba became the first team to knock off the Spartans on conference play this season

WINNIPEG - The No.6 Manitoba Bisons men's volleyball team were looking for revenge against the No. 8 Trinity Western Spartans on Saturday November 21 2009. At the Investors Group Athletic Centre, the Bisons came out on top with a decisive 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-21) victory over the No.8 Spartans.

TWU-Manitoba men's v'ball boxscore

Manitoba came out pounding the ball early in this match. The Bisons took control early in the set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. They continued their hard spiking ways throughout the set as they continued to extend their lead. At one point it was 14-7. The Spartans battled back to within a point, chipping away at a big lead. They couldn't contend with the Bisons 16 kills however, with the last kill coming courtesy of Chris Osborn who nailed the ball hard down the centre of the court. That point gave Manitoba the 25-21 set win.

The second set saw a tighter game than the first. Both teams were coming up with timely blocks and big hits at the critical moments. They battled back and forth, neither team giving an inch until a double-block with John Galloway and Osborn separated the teams by two points. After a disputed tip that went out, the Bisons took a three point lead off of a kill by Chris Voth. The Bisons were slamming the ball down hard with their 21 kills in the set. The Spartans only had 15. When Manitoba was up 24-22, Steven Marshall of Trinity Western served the ball into the net to give the Herd a 2-0 lead in the match.

The play in the game seemed much of the same in the third set. But when the set was all tied up at three the Bisons started pulling away to an 8-3 lead. They were led by hits from Voth and precise serves from Dane Pischke. It didn't last long as the Spartans woke up from their defensive lapse and started hitting the floor to bite into the Herd's lead. At one point a Spartan player went up for a hit and no blockers were present from the Bisons side. With the momentum Trinity Western was able to close the gap to two points at 12-10. Manitoba lengthened their lead again to pull out in front 18-13. Marshall was able to bring the Spartans within three with two straight crosscourt kills. The Bisons pulled away one last time as Osborn finished the game with two straight kills to clinch the match.

Pischke had a match high 13 kills for the Bisons, while Marshall had 12 for the Spartans.

Manitoba (5-4) doesn't play until after the winter break when they play Thompson Rivers on January 8, 2010 at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. Trinity Western (5-1) plays on November 27 when they're in Calgary taking on the Dinos.