Written by: David Koroma (University of Manitoba Sports Information)

In a battle of the fourth- and fifth-ranked CIS men's volleyball teams, the #4 Manitoba Bisons narrowly defeated the #5 Winnipeg Wesmen in five sets(26-28, 23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 15-13) at Investors Group Athletic Centre Saturday afternoon.

Manitoba is now 16-4 for the season, while Winnipeg sits at 13-7.

After being defeated in straight sets the night before, Winnipeg was looking for an important win against their Manitoba rivals.  They won the first two sets, but struggled to keep up the intensity and lost the next two sets before narrowly losing the fifth. Manitoba's presence at the net in the latter half of the match made the difference.

The match started with a rally by Manitoba, led by team captain Ken Rooney, quickly jumping to a seven-point lead. However, the lead was short-lived as the Wesmen rallied back and eventually tied the set at 17. It was back-and-forth from there with Winnipeg eventually winning an extended set, 28-26.
 
Manitoba started the second set with another early lead, but again Winnipeg rallied back to tie the set. Brendan Thielmann scored crucial kills to give the Wesmen a boost and gain the lead. Winnipeg took another close set, 25-23.
 
The third set was closely contested until Manitoba started to create some distance halfway through. Adam DeJonckheere led their offense with lightning-quick kills, helping them take the set 25-15.
 
Manitoba was riding their momentum as they came out strong in the fourth set. Their blocking at the net, led by Rooney and Luke Herr, stifled the Wesmen's attempts to gain the lead and take a big win. Manitoba captured the set, 25-19.
 
The fifth set saw both teams fighting incredibly hard for the win. Both sides were plagued by service errors that kept the set close the whole time. The Bisons offense picked up steam at the end of the set and finished the match with a 15-13 win.
 
The stats sheet reflects the battle at the net, with both teams capturing 22 blocks and the Bisons scoring 71 kills to the Wesmen's 58. DeJonckheere and Dear led the game's kills with 21 and 20 respectively. Bommersbach led the visiting Wesmen with 17 kills.
 
Winnipeg will be in action next Friday and Saturday on the road in Calgary against Mount Royal.