Box Score Winnipeg, MB – The #1 University of Manitoba Bisons men's volleyball team opened the weekend with its 17th win in a row. Manitoba took Friday, Feb. 3 night's matchup against the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack in straight sets (25-15, 25-16, 25-17) at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
 
The Bisons now have an 18-1 record and have clinched a playoff spot in the Canada West Division. The WolfPack falls to 2-15 with the loss.
 
Devren Dear and Adam DeJonckheere led Manitoba's offence with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Anton Napolitano had 11 for the visitors.
 
The challenge for the Bisons on Friday, head coach Garth Pischke said, was staying focused on the game – not the opposing team.
 
"I think we had one lull in the first set, and then we really managed to get our composure back and get back to playing the game and not worry about the opposition, just worry about our side," he said. "I was proud of that, because it looked like it was slipping away from us. It's a tough situation."  
 
The first set saw a close, back-and-forth game before the Bisons found their footing and took over. After the home side forced a string of Thompson Rivers attack errors, DeJonckheere posted back-to-back kills to make it a 20-14 game. A few rallies later, Luke Herr served two aces to close out the set 25-15.
 
Thompson Rivers took the lead in the second, and the Bisons couldn't earn more than a few short-lived advantages until midway through the set. Manitoba's offence – led by Scott Vercaigne, who had two consecutive kills – stepped up to give the home side a five-point lead. The Bisons hit a second hot streak later in the set. The WolfPack couldn't keep up, and the Bisons took the second 25-16.
 
The Bisons rode into the third set with the same offensive power. The home side broke out front with a 12-6 lead, while the WolfPack couldn't win more than one rally in a row until late in the set. Two consecutive Manitoba attack errors and a Charlie Bringloe kill cut the Bisons' lead to 23-16, but, two rallies later, the home side took the set 25-17 on a short serve.
 
The Bisons play their last home game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at Investors Group Athletic Centre, when eight graduating Bisons will be honoured for their years at Manitoba .
 
"It's tough," Pischke said. "We have a lot of veterans out here, a lot of fifth-year guys, so that's going to be an emotional one for them, for sure, (but) we know we'll be back here for a playoff game one way or the other."
 
Set scores
(Bisons listed first): 25-15, 25-16, 25-17
 
Kill leaders
MAN: Devren Dear (13)
TRU: Anton Napolitano (11)
 
Assist leaders
MAN: Luke Herr (28)
TRU: Jakob Hamilton (22)
 
Dig leaders
MAN: Dustin Spiring (8)
TRU: Isaac Smit (5), Cole Keddie (5)