Box Score The University of Manitoba Bison men's volleyball team won their first game after winter break in straight sets, sweeping the UBC Okanagan Heat 25-13, 25-21 and 25-15 at Investors Group Athletic Centre Friday, January 8 night.
 
With the win, the #3 Bisons improve to 11-2 and extend their conference win streak to three games, while the Heat falls to 3-10 after suffering their second straight loss.
 
Manitoba's Devren Dear led both teams with 16, while fellow Bison Adam DeJonckheere and the Heat's Alex Swiatlowski each had 10.
 
Bison head coach Garth Pischke said both teams' defence also shone.
 
"We did a good job blocking," he said. "There were good plays on both sides."
 
Strong attacks in the first set, including two consecutive kills from Ken Rooney, gave Manitoba an early 6-2 lead, forcing UBC Okanagan to call an early timeout.  The Heat responded with four kills from Swiatlowski in six rallies, but the Bisons stayed ahead, thanks, in part, to three straight Heat offensive errors.
 
The Heat challenged the home side with long, hard-fought rallies that had both teams scrambling across the court, something Pischke said is rare for men's volleyball. But despite this effort, the Heat couldn't hold off the dominant Bisons. Manitoba took the set 25-13.
 
The second saw a closer contest. The Bisons and Heat battled for every point, and neither team could gain more than a three-point lead until late in the set. The Bisons pulled ahead 20-16 after a Heat attack error. UBC Okanagan never caught up, and, after Kevin Falconer, DeJonckheere and Dear each added a kill, the Bisons claimed the second 25-21.
 
The tight game continued at the start of the third, but the Heat couldn't contain Manitoba's strong offense. The Bisons pulled ahead 16-9 after a pair of three-point streaks. Dear dominated, hitting seven of his game-high 16 kills in the third set alone, and the Bisons took the third 25-15 and the game 3-0.
 
When asked how his team could improve, Pischke noted the Bisons are "below average" when it comes to serves. Manitoba made seven service errors in the game, while UBC Okanagan had 10.
 
"We need to serve tougher," Pischke said. "We're working on it."
 
The teams will face off again Saturday, Jan. 9 at 3 p.m. CT at Investors Group Athletic Centre.