Seven teams are in action for the Bisons this weekend, as regular seasons and post-seasons intertwine.

On the road, women's soccer has a play-in game against UNBC for the second straight year, as they look to build on their best regular season in 11 years. Cross country is also in post-season play, as the Canada West Championship goes Saturday.

At home, Bisons volleyball start their seasons at IGAC as they take on Mount Royal, while men's hockey play UBC at Wayne Fleming Arena.
Get set for it all in our weekend preview.

Volleyball vs. Mount Royal – October 26 (4/5:45 PM), October 27 (2/3:45 PM)

WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @BisonMVB and @BisonWVB on Twitter

After a first week bye, both Bisons teams get conference play going at home this weekend, as they host the Mount Royal Cougars. The women are up first on Saturday (4 PM), with the men starting on Sunday (2 PM).

The Bisons women are boasting a deep recruitment class in 2019-20 but expect familiar faces to start the season in prime positions. Fourth-year Kearley Abbott — who overcame a difficult injury in 2018-19 to lead Manitoba in kills per set after her return — is moving to left side as a primary attacker. Setting the table for her is another key player, third-year Kelsey Jordan, who totaled 749 assists last season.

The Bisons men, meanwhile, are starting a season that'll finish with them hosting the 2020 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship in March. Though the stakes are high, veterans like fifth-year Kevin Negus are here to take the lead. Negus had a breakout season in 2018-19, finishing seventh in the conference in kills (271) and kills per set (3.43). Third-years Owen Schwartz, Jack Mandryk, and Dylan Sutherland will also be core pieces for Manitoba this season.

Bisons volleyball tickets are $10 at the door, with UM students and fans 12-and-under in free! Saturday is also the first on-sale day for tickets to the 2020 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship – look for the table to find out how to secure yours at early bird prices.

Women's Soccer – October 25 vs. UNBC (1 PM)

WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: Follow @BisonWSOC on Twitter

After achieving the team's best regular season record (8-5-1) in 11 years, Bisons women's soccer have high hopes heading into the post-season. As the Prairie division No. 3 seed, their first test will be against the Pacific division No. 6 seed UNBC Timberwolves (3-7-4).

UNBC and Manitoba met in the same round last season, with the exact same seedings. UNBC won a competitive match in a shootout (1-1; 3-1), advancing to the quarter-final.

One thing has changed from last season and that is Manitoba's ability to score. After scoring just 15 goals in 2018, the Bisons leapt to 28 in 2019, averaging 2.00 goals for and 1.57 against per match in the regular season. The total puts them 4th in Canada West, as they were led by 2018 U SPORTS All-Rookie Nicole Davis with seven and first-year midfielder Jessica Tsai with six.

For UNBC, a player to watch is centre back Mara McCleary. One of the strongest players on a Timberwolves defence that allowed just 19 goals — the lowest in program history — McCleary presents a clear foil to the speed and skill presented by Manitoba's forward line.

The Pacific No. 2 seed Dinos (8-5-1) face the winner in the conference quarter-final on Sunday, October 27 at 1 p.m. CDT.

Men's Hockey vs. UBC – Saturday, October 26 (7 PM), Sunday, October 27 (2 PM)

WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsMHKY on Twitter

If there's been a consistent theme for Bisons men's hockey early this season, it's been their ability to grind out wins. With a record of 3-3-0, Manitoba is fresh off handing No. 6 Calgary their first loss of the season last Saturday, fending off a 52-shot performance from the visitors to win 4-3 in 2OT.

This weekend, they'll take on the UBC Thunderbirds (1-3-2) at Wayne Fleming Arena. As expected, their leader through six games has been fifth-year Adam Henry. With two goals and five assists, Henry is third among conference defencemen in scoring, and made critical plays last weekend at Calgary to get the Bisons to a weekend split. Goal scoring overall has been spread out for the Herd, with seven players leading the team with two goals apiece.

For UBC, scoring has been at a premium, as the 'Birds are next-to-last in the conference with 13 goals. Still, six of those have come on the power play, with a 27.3% marker ranking third in Canada West. Keeping UBC out of special teams situations will be critical for Manitoba.

Bisons hockey tickets are $10 and available at the door. UM students and fans 12-and-under get in free!

Women's Hockey at UBC – October 25 (8 PM), October 26 (4 PM)

WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsWHKY on Twitter

A road-heavy first half to the season continues for Bisons women's hockey (2-4-0), who make the long trek to Vancouver for a series against the Thunderbirds (2-2-2) this weekend.

Quite a few Bisons have responded to bigger roles this season, one of whom is third-year forward Emilie Massé. With four goals in six games, Massé leads the Bisons and is tied for the conference lead. Fourth-year defenceman Jenai Buchanan has similarly taken on a leading role with five points (three goals, two assists) and is third in scoring among conference blue liners.

UBC and Manitoba have each scored just nine goals this season, but the Bisons and 'Birds are on polar ends of the spectrum when it comes to penalty kill. Manitoba has yet to allow a power play goal, marking a perfect 100%, while UBC has the conference's worst kill rate of 69% through six games.

Football at Regina – October 25 (8 PM)

WATCH: CanadaWest.TV, Bell MTS ch. 1802
UPDATES: follow @MBBisons on Twitter

With their playoff ticket already punched, the Manitoba Bisons (4-3) have an opportunity to move up to the conference's third seed this weekend as they face the Regina Rams (2-5). For a full idea of playoff scenarios, check out Canada West's breakdown.

Defence and discipline have been the key to Manitoba's wins this season. In the latter category, they've kept laundry off the field all season — their 65 penalties and 500 penalty yards are 5^th and 2^nd lowest in the nation, respectively. In stopping teams, the Bisons' excellent defensive line — led by seven sacks (3^rd in U SPORTS) from fifth-year end Derek Dufault — has been backed up by an opportunistic secondary. Manitoba's 11 defensive interceptions rank 4^thin U SPORTS. Those include two last week against Calgary, snagged by Shae Weekes and Arjay Shelley.

Rush defence has been a strength for the Rams all season, which presents an interesting matchup against the three-headed Bisons backfield of Michael Ritchott, Logan Fischer, and Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette. The Rams have allowed the third-lowest rush yards per game (135.3) in Canada West and have the most tackles per game (54.3).

For more on this weekend's football game, read our Week 8 game notes.

Canada West Cross Country Championship – October 26

For the first time, the Canada West champion in cross country will be decided at a standalone event, and not as part of the U SPORTS championship. The University of Calgary are the first hosts of the event, with nine Bisons making the trip — seven men and two women.

On the men's side, fifth-year Simon Berube was the top finisher for Manitoba at all four regular season meets and should be in competition for a great result among his conference opposition. Similarly, Deric Kornelson has had a solid season and should help the Bisons as they try to improve on a 4^th place team finish in 2018.

For the women, fourth-year Shayna Giesbrecht and second-year Amy Klippenstein are the lone Bisons, but both have put good seasons together. After a surprising tie at the Bison Time Trial, Giesbrecht was the top Bison at the three regular season meets following, with Klippenstein not far behind.

Notes from the Range

• After a great weekend against Calgary, Bisons staff writer Mike Still talked to Adam Henry about how his years in the WHL and U SPORTS have prepared him for a leadership role this season.
• Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, a stalwart for Bisons women's volleyball in the late 80s and early 90s, became the fourth Bison to be inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame.