Box Score WINNIPEG, MB – The third-ranked University of Manitoba Bisons hosted the Trinity Western University (TWU) Spartans for a hotly contested men's volleyball match on Friday, Jan. 22 at Investors Group Athletic Centre. The Spartans won in four sets (25-20, 28-26, 21-25, 25-23), bringing them to 9-8 for the Canada West season while Manitoba is now 12-3.

Though Manitoba was favoured on paper, the Spartans put up a solid fight against their top-ranked opponents and managed to upset the home team. Led by outside hitter, Blake Scheerhoorn, TWU's presence at the net made the difference—with 52 kills and 19 blocks for the game.
 
"The first set we basically gave to them," says Bisons' Head Coach Garth Pischke. "If we blocked better, I think it would be a different ball game."
 
During the first set, TWU outplayed Manitoba at the net, racking up 11 kills and three blocks while Manitoba had one block and eight kills. TWU's Scheerhoorn led his team with six kills to give them a 25-20 win.
 
The second set was more evenly matched, with both teams trading the lead throughout. It was an extended set that pitted the kills of Manitoba's Devren Dear against Scheerhoorn, who capped off the set with a kill at 28-26 for TWU.
 
Manitoba pulled ahead to a five-point lead halfway through the third set. With Josh Crellin and Adam DeJonckheere stepping up to help Dear at the net, the Bisons held their lead to win 25-21 and bring the game to a fourth set.
 
The fourth set was much like the second, with both teams constantly trading the lead. With the game 22-21 for Manitoba, Scheerhoorn stepped up to deliver some big blocks and kills to put his team over the edge, winning a hard-fought fourth set 25-23.
 
Dear led the game's scoring with 23 kills, while Scheerhoorn had 20 kills for the visiting Spartans. The home team had 8 blocks for the game, while TWU had 19 with Aaron Boettcher leading the game with 6.
 
The two teams will play each other again tomorrow, Jan. 23, at 3 p.m CT at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
 
SCORING BY SET
MAN: 20-26-25-23: 1
TWU: 25-28-21-25: 3
 
KILL LEADERS
MAN: Devren Dear (23), Adam DeJonckheere (10), Josh Crellin (08)
TWU: Blake Scheerhoorn (20), Ryan Sclater (14), Aaron Boettcher (08)