Ryan Nickifor had 10 kills as the No.3 ranked Alberta Golden Bears volleyball team scored a straight sets (25-20, 25-16 and 25-16) win over the No.9 ranked Manitoba Bisons on Friday, November 22 afternoon at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton.

Nickifor, a second year RS/LS from Sherwood Park, AB, lead all players on Friday with his double-digit kills, but third-year Ryley Barnes had nine kills, a .375 hitting percentage and seven digs, while Tucker Leinweber scored eight kills and three aces in the win.

The win boosts Alberta's record to 6-3 and gives them their second consecutive victory following last weekend's split with Thompson Rivers. Manitoba has their three game win streak snapped and now hold a 4-5 record.

The Bisons, sporting a roster with 16 players in their first or second year of eligibility and just one fifth-year, were led by seven kills from Kenny Rooney, as well as his .385 hitting percentage. Devren Dear added six kills in the loss, while Kevin Falconer had four kills and an ace.

The Golden Bears were simply too much for the Bisons to contain. Terry Danyluk's squad hit no less than .259 as a team against Manitoba, while the Winnipeg-based team had a match high hitting percentage of .080. Manitoba's 26 attack errors, compared to Alberta's 13, were a big part of the storyline on Friday, and Alberta's other edge was blocking, as they recorded 12 blocks to Manitoba's eight.

It was Barnes and Leinweber who paced the Bears in the opening set, as Barnes picked up four kills, while Leinweber spun three aces as well as two kills to help Alberta to a 25-20 set win.

Leinweber added another four kills in the second set, while Nickifor picked up three as the Bears cruised to a 25-16 victory.

Nickifor cranked out five more kills in the third set, but the Bisons hurt themselves as well, as they committed four service errors en route to a 25-16 set loss, and a 3-0 match loss.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday, November 23, this time at 6:30 p.m. MT, to close out their two-game series.

Canada West men's volleyball

No.3 Alberta Golden Bears vs. No.9 Manitoba Bisons

Final

             1         2         3        Final

UofA-    25      25        25          3

UofM-   20      16        16          0

AB kill leader: Ryan Nickifor with 10 kills

MB kill leader: Kenny Rooney with 7 kills