Calgary - Despite a massive 19 kills and 22 digs from fifth-year Fallon Middlemiss, the Mount Royal University Cougars women's volleyball team fell to the visiting University of Manitoba Bisons in five sets 3-2 (21-25, 25-15, 21-25, 26-24, 15-8) on Friday, January 9.
 

Led by the nation's leading scorer in Rachel Cockrell who recorded 22 kills, the Bisons stormed back to win the last two sets and the match.
 

It was a fairly even first set as neither team could pull away until the later stages. Mount Royal, who lead 16-13 at the break, played well to seal the first set win of 25-21. Cockrell had six kills, while the Cougars' Kylie Willis had four.
 

Manitoba seemed to place a different team on the court for the second set, as they raced out to an early 7-2 lead and didn't look back. Jordana Milne recorded the first three points for the Bisons, while Cockrell put up four more kills and Middlemiss added four herself. Manitoba went on to win by a score of 25-15.
 

The success continued for Manitoba in the third as they jumped out 8-3 over the Cougars, but Sandra Lamb's timeout seemed to be the set's turning point, as Mount Royal went on a 6-1 run. As the teams battled at 10-10, a lengthy rally broke out, and Mount Royal was able to claim the point after Milne and Sarah Klassen collided, leaving Milne bloodied. Luckily, she returned the game for the next point. Leading 16-5 after the break, Mikayla Fritzke recorded five of Mount Royal's next six kills to put the Cougars ahead. Middlemiss' set-clinching kill earned the Cougars a 25-21 win.
 

Looking to close things out in the fourth, the Cougars led 5-0 early on, but the Bisons stayed persistent. Both team's top players in Middlemiss (six kills) and Cockrell (five kills) battled hard as the score went back and forth. With the score tied at 24s, Mount Royal had a chance to close out the match, but the Bisons' defense came up huge. That gave Manitoba the opportunity to win, and Cockrell's serve dove in front of libero Alex Runge to force a fifth set.
 

The first half of the first set was neck and neck and Manitoba led 8-7 at the break. However, the higher-ranked Bisons were able to pull away by riding the offense of Cockrell, who racked up six kills in the last set. Manitoba was able to win the last set 15-8.

With the loss, MRU moves to 3-14 while Manitoba now stands at 7-8, just looking outside at a playoff spot.
 

Along with Middlemiss' great night, Mikayla Fritzke had 13 kills, while Marni MacKay added 10 of her own. Setter Brittany Habing had nine kills and nine digs for the Bisons.
 

Tomorrow night (Sat., Jan. 10), the teams will rematch at Kenyon Court at 5 p.m. MT