Box Score In the second semifinal game of the Canada West Final Four tournament, the Manitoba Bisons swept the Trinity Western Spartans 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-23) Friday evening at War Memorial Gymnasium in Vancouver.
Manitoba's Taylor Pischke and Rachel Cockrell led the Bisons with 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while Setter Brittany Habing recorded a game-high 35 assists and Caleigh Dobie led the game in digs, with 16. Sophie Carpentier and Royal Richardson championed the Spartans offense with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
A Trinity Western attack error gave the Bisons the first point of the game; but, a quick kill by Alicia Perrin served as the Spartan response. Manitoba proceeded to control the momentum of the set, relying on commanding attacks from Taylor Pischke and Rachel Cockrell, as well as strong blocking led by middle, Emily Erickson. Similarly, Alicia Perrin and Royal Richardson set the pace for the Spartans, tallying 63% of Trinity Western's kills in the first set. The Bisons carried a four-point lead going into the technical timeout, and Manitoba carried this rhythm through the second half of the set. A resilient rally from both teams set-up Manitoba's Rachel Cockrell for a kill that clinched the set, 25-17, for the Bisons.
Both teams returned reinvigorated in the second set and proceeded to battle it out for most of the set. Strong attacks from the Spartans matched up against organized, efficient serve-receive technique from the Bisons. While Royal Richardson and Sophie Carpentier continued to lead the Spartans, Taylor Pischke and Rachel Cockrell championed the Bisons' offense. Success in the set relied largely on defense, as either team was able to expertly set-up an attack when in system. Over the course of the set, the teams would tie-up the score 8 times. The Bisons continued to play strong defense at the net, totaling 9 team blocks by the end of the second set. Though the Spartans led going into the technical timeout, the Bisons fought back and tied the game at 18, 19, and 21 before pulling away to take the second set, 25-21.
After winning two consecutive sets, the Bisons took an early lead in the third; however, the Spartans rallied back, tying the set at 18. It looked hopeful for Trinity Western as the team fought desperately to overcome the Bison's organized, systematic play; but, ultimately the Bisons prevailed. A quick kill from Rachel Cockrell clinched the set, 25-23, and the match.
Manitoba's head coach, Ken Bentley, was pleased with tonight's performance: "We really defended, I thought, and we served well," he said. "We got into system enough that we could set-up a good blocking defense. I was happy with our play. 3-0 is a bonus. You don't go in expecting that; you just want to win the match. I thought we stayed in the present and kept moving forward. I was pleased with how we played emotionally."
In regard to preparation for tomorrow evening's gold medal match against UBC, Coach Bentley stated, "We need more of the same. We can't worry about their side too much. Our side needs to be what it was tonight and more for us to be successful. We will take on the challenge. Obviously, they are the favorite, but we will do what we can to make the match interesting."
With the victory Manitoba earns one of three Canada West berths to the CIS National Championships in Regina.
Tomorrow night, Manitoba will take on UBC for the gold at 9 p.m. CT at War Memorial Gymnasium. Trinity Western will play the UBC Okanagan Heat at 7 p.m. CT in the bronze medal game.
