Box Score Despite getting off to a slow start, the #3 University of Manitoba Bisons won their second straight over the UBC Okanagan Heat in men's volleyball on Saturday, January 9 afternoon at Investors Group Athletic Centre. The Bisons lost the first 17-25 but took the next three sets 25-16, 25-16 and 25-9 for the 3-1 victory.
 
With the win, Manitoba extends their win streak to four games and now sits at a 12-2 record, while UBC Okanagan falls to 3-11 with their third straight loss.
 
Manitoba's Devren Dear led both teams with 17 kills, while Alex Swiatlowski had 11 for UBC Okanagan.
 
Manitoba got off to a rough start. The Bisons struggled to keep the ball in bounds, giving up eight points on attack errors and four points on service errors in the first set alone. Manitoba battled back with strong kills from Adam DeJonckheere and Dear, but it wasn't enough. The Heat never led by less than four points after the technical timeout. UBC Okanagan middle Jim Bell closed the set with two straight points on blocks, and the Heat took the first 25-17.
 
"We weren't aggressive," Bison head coach Garth Pischke said about the first set. "We were waiting for them to make mistakes. They have a lot of physical guys, and they're good when they can get things going."
 
The second set was a different story. The Bisons quickly took a 9-4 lead and forced an early Heat timeout. The home team was relentless out of the break, scoring 10 points in 16 rallies before UBC Okanagan retaliated. The Heat attackers changed the pace of the game, putting up four major kills and forcing the Bisons to scramble across the court before DeJonckheere added a kill of his own to take the second 25-16.
 
In the third, the Bisons put up five points and forced a UBC Okanagan timeout before the Heat even made it on the board. Minutes later, Manitoba setter Luke Herr served two aces in a row to force a second Heat timeout. Herr added another ace after the break before losing the serve on an error. The Heat fought back, scoring on four straight rallies and forcing a Bison timeout, but they still couldn't catch Manitoba's lead. The home side claimed the set 25-16.
 
The Bisons won a long rally to start the fourth and quickly took an 8-2 lead. The Heat couldn't recover and only added four more points before the technical timeout. DeJonckheere and Kevin Falconer shone in the set, combining for 10 kills in the fourth alone, while UBC never broke double digits. The Bisons took the set 25-9 on a long Heat serve and the game 3-1.
 
"We were way more aggressive," Pischke said about the last three sets. "We wanted the ball after the first, and it was a real team effort. We had great digs, great serves."
 
The Bisons have a bye next week and will take on the Trinity Western University Spartans at home on Friday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. UBC Okanagan is back on the road next weekend for a doubleheader against the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
 
Set scores: 17-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-9
 
Kill leaders: Devren Dear (Manitoba) 17, Alex Swiatlowski (UBC Okanagan) 11
Dig leaders: Alex Strachan (Manitoba) 8, Eli Risso (UBC Okanagan) 8
Assist leaders: Luke Herr (Manitoba) 42, Ethan Freund (UBC Okanagan) 31