In a match no one seemed willing to put away, the Winnipeg Wesmen delivered a knockout blow with repercussions. 

The Wesmen men's volleyball team blew a five-point fifth-set lead, and then shook off two match points to stun the Brandon Bobcats 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 24-26, 16-4) in a Canada West conference match Friday night at the Duckworth Centre. 

The win earned the defending Canada West champions at worst a first-round hosting opportunity and potentially a first-round bye when the post-season begins next weekend. 

Winnipeg improved to 10-9 to sit in sixth place in the conference with one match to play. A win in Saturday's return match will guarantee the Wesmen don't have to play in the play-in round that starts next weekend. A loss, however, could mean they drop below 9-10 Mount Royal into seventh to host a play-in match against the conference's No. 10. 

Luke Lodewyks led four Wesmen in double figures in kills with 17 and he added 10 digs. Jaxon Rose, who will be one of four seniors celebrated on Saturday night, had 15 kills but also served the Wesmen through the final gritty three points of the fifth when Winnipeg overcame a 14-12 deficit to secure the victory.

The Wesmen, however, didn't make life easy for themselves after taking a 2-1 lead in sets. The led 24-21 in the fourth only to give up five straight points that forced a fifth and, in the final set, blew a 10-5 advantage as the Bobcats stormed back with five out of the next six points and nine of the next 11 that gave them the 14-12 edge. 

But middle blocker Easton Dick, who knocked down 11 kills on 16 swings, had two kills in the final Wesmen push and Lodewyks added a block as the Wesmen put a significant dent in the Bobcats' playoff plans. 

With the loss, the defending national champions (7-12) now know they will finish in ninth at best and will go on the road for a play-in match next weekend. 

Aidan Hruska posted a career-high 13 kills for the Wesmen, who hit .270 for the night and posted 53 digs.

Liam Pauls' match-high 18 kills paced the Bobcats, who also got 15 from senior Tom Friesen and 14 from Liam Kindle. 

Friesen, and senior Wesmen libero Carson Brennan, matched each other with a match-high 12 digs.