Box Score The Manitoba Bisons men's volleyball team pulled off a big upset on Friday, Nov. 15 with an exciting five set victory (16-25, 25-21, 25-22, 14-25, 15-12) over the #4 Brandon Bobcats at the Investors Group Athletic Centre (U of M campus).
The Bisons (3-4) responded well after getting blown out in the first and fourth sets by the Bobcats (4-3). After losing dropping the first set, they responded by taking the next two and the lead in the game.
Then in the fifth and deciding set, the Bisons took a 12-11 set lead on an attack by server
Devren Dear. That would be the final lead change of the back-and-forth set and ultimately the game. Up 14-11, the Bobcats' Brendan White hit an attack just wide of the near boundary and the Bisons left with the upset win.
"It's a big win for us," said Bisons head coach Cam Johnson. "We have a team that maybe doesn't have all the experience of other teams on the floor. Anytime you're in a situation that tests your resiliency and mental toughness and you come out on top, it makes you better."
Dear had a fantastic night for the Bisons, leading the team with 23 kills. Meanwhile, Roy Ching led the Bobcats with 14 kills on the evening.
The Bobcats looked to be in control of the game after the first set but the Bisons responded well, taking advantage of Brandon errors and make plays at key moments. A pair of kills by
Adam DeJonckheere late in the second set were key in that set's victory, which saw nine lead changes. Then the Bisons went in front after a third set victory behind the play of Dear.
The Bobcats showed why they were the fourth-ranked team in the country with a dominating fourth set but the Bisons came out strong in the fifth and final set, battling the Bobcats and pulling away late in the set. The win brought the Bisons one game closer to .500 on the season and is a trademark win early in the season for Johnson, in his first year as the head coach of the Bisons.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night at the Investors Group Athletic Centre (U of M campus). The match is set for 7 p.m. CT as the Bisons will look for the weekend sweep of Brandon.
