Having to fight from behind all night proved too much for the Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday.

The Wesmen women's volleyball team dealt with deficits through all four sets and were only able to muster one win, dropping a 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-13, 25-8) Canada West conference decision to the Manitoba Bisons at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. 

While the Wesmen were deserving of credit for big comebacks in both the first and second sets, they simply weren't able to maintain a consistent level in Sets 3 and 4. 

In the first, Portia Switzer served the Wesmen through a six-point run that wiped out a 13-8 Bisons lead and put the Wesmen up 14-13. And, in Set 2, Winnipeg fell behind 10-3, but managed to chip away and got the lead down 12-10. Trailing 16-11, and after calling timeout, the Wesmen tore off five of the next six points to pull to 17-16 down. They later went on another key run to take a 20-19 deficit and turn it into a 23-21 advantage and closed the set with back-to-back points.

In Sets 3 and 4, however, Manitoba was dominant: The Wesmen made 13 attack errors on 54 swings and hit an unsightly -.103 in the fourth while Manitoba attacked at a .536 clip to close out the match and claim the Duckworth Challenge for just the second time in the past six years. 

Selva Planincic and Jaya Dzikowicz both had 11 kills for the Wesmen (6-13) who are now in need of multiple wins if they hope to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. Winnipeg sits in 10th place with the top eight making the post-season. 

Taylor Cangemi had a team-high 13 digs. 

Raya Surinx had 16 kills and 12 digs to lead the Bisons (16-3). Ella Gray added 10 kills and Julia Arnold, named the Bisons Duckworth MVP, had 12 digs. 

The two teams meet again Saturday at 6:45 p.m. at the Duckworth Centre. Tickets are available online at wesmen.ca/tickets.