REGINA, Sask. - The University of Regina's women's volleyball team opened its weekend with a nice first-set win over visiting Manitoba, but the Bisons came back to win the next three sets over the Cougars on Friday, November 27 night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport. The sets scores for Manitoba was 16-25, 25-10, 28-26, 25-19.

Manitoba, which improves to 2-9 on the season with the win, had an outstanding performance from libero Cassie Bujan. She led all players with 22 digs in the win, while Cassidy Pearson was all over the scoresheet with 12 kills, eight digs, five aces, and five blocks. Kalena Schulz had 10 kills and 10 digs for a double-double, while Sarah Klassen had a match-high seven blocks.

Ashlee Sandiford led the Cougars (0-11) with 13 kills and 12 digs.

The first set was close until a service error by the Cougars gave Manitoba a slim 8-7 lead. It was all Regina after that, with both Shaynah Godlien and Molly Wade-Cummings serving the Cougars to extended runs as part of a 13-2 surge that gave the home side complete control of the set. Regina hit .407 as a team in that first set, which the Cougars won by a 25-16 margin.

But Manitoba turned the tables in the second, holding the Cougars to a -.133 hitting percentage and squaring the match at a set apiece with a 25-10 win.

The third set was hotly contested with nine tie scores, most of which came late as it went down to the wire despite Manitoba taking an early 10-3 lead in the set. Three straight points for the Cougars turned a late two-point deficit into set point for the U of R at 24-23, but Manitoba extended the set with a Schulz kill, then got a set point of their own at 25-24 after a Sydney Purvis ace. They weren't able to convert that - or at 26-25 - but third time was a charm as Pearson and Angelica Kilberg combined for a block that gave the Bisons a 28-26 win.

Manitoba took control of the fourth with two runs, the first a 7-1 run that gave the Bisons the lead for good and the second as they scored eight out of nine points to put it away. Manitoba clinched the win on a Regina serve error that gave the Bisons a 25-19 win.

Sandiford's double-double was one of two for the Cougars, as Tori Glynn also had 10 kills and 11 digs. Regina's libero Taylor Ungar finished with a team-high 16 digs.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday, November 28 night (5 p.m. CT, canadawest.tv).