Box Score The #8 University of Manitoba women's volleyball team won over Mount Royal 3-1 (25-21, 15-25, 25-19, 36-34) in their first home game after the break on Friday, January 17. The four-set match at Investors Group Athletic Centre ended in an intense point-for-point battle. A kill from leftside Taylor Pischke and block by Brittany Habling and Jordana Milne earned the Bisons the match in the long 36-34 set.   
 
"Usually those long ones are hard to pull out but we're in really good shape so we were able to do it,"said Pischke.
 
The Bisons' experience trumped the Cougars the game. Mount Royal, new to the league, put up a good fight but had trouble getting through Manitoba's fierce defense and scoring against the well-seasoned team.   

The Bisons are now 9-6 and the Cougars stand at 5-10 a month before playoffs begin.
 
Manitoba pulled ahead quickly in the first set and held their lead until a block attack from Mount Royal tied it up.  After a quick back-and-forth fight the Bisons were back on top finishing with a kill from Taylor Pischke and a hit the Cougars were unable to return.  The Bisons set a similar tone for the third set, taking it 25-19.
 
Mount Royal shone in the second set with more fire than the first. They took the court with more fire, picked up momentum early on and stayed in front to take the side by a wide margin (15-25). Leftside Carolyn O'Dwyer played aggressively throwing down 6 strong kills for her team. 
 
O'Dwyer led for her team  for the game with 16 kills overall and two service aces. Bison Taylor Pischke had a game-high of 17 kills, followed closely by her teammate Jordana Milne with 16 kills. 
 
The Cougars and the Bisons will face off again Saturday, January 18 to finish the weekend series. First serve will be at 5 pm CT at Investors Group Athletic Centre (U of M Campus).