LANGLEY, BC — After earning a crucial five-set win on Friday, the Manitoba Bisons were unable to muster an encore on Saturday, as the No. 5 ranked Trinity Western Spartans won in four at the Langley Events Centre (18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-16).

The loss means the Bisons finish the season with a record of 12-12. They qualify for the playoffs after topping MacEwan (12-12) in a tiebreaker (sets won divided by sets lost).

Finishing in the eighth seed, the Bisons will head on the road to face the No. 3 ranked Calgary Dinos (19-5) in the Canada West Quarter-Finals next weekend.

In this one, the Bisons were led by third-year Kearley Abbott, who had a team-high nine kills, adding three service aces and five blocks. Josie Abbott chipped in seven kills, while Jocelyn Koswin had six out of the middle.

Manitoba carried momentum after winning three straight sets on Friday, winning the first 25-18. Trinity Western had nine attacking errors and hit just .064 in the opener on Saturday, while the Bisons were deadly on the service line — racking up five aces.

The Spartans turned it on after that, motivated by the seniors' night stage on their home court. Trinity Western jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the second, a run that included a critical block for Kristin Anton, who would finish with six kills and five blocks in the match. Manitoba battled back to make it a 22-21 Spartans lead late, but Trinity Western took three of the last four points to clinch it.

In the third, the Spartans got out even quicker. Up 13-7, the Bisons again had to rally a comeback but fell short in the closing points. The Spartans finished the third on a 7-2 run to seal another 25-22 win.

The fourth was hotly contested by both sides, as they battled to a 12-12 tie. Unfortunately, the Bisons couldn't hang on after that, as the Spartans took eight of ten points to make it 20-14. Trinity Western would eventually finish it off at 25-16.

The Spartans were led by Hilary Howe, who had 15 kills, six blocks, and 16 digs.

"I felt that there was a good energy out there. I felt that we used a lot of strengths of this team," said Spartans head coach Ryan Hofer. "There were a lot of people contributing and with that, we showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight."

The Bisons will head on the road for the Canada West Quarter-Finals, as they take on the Calgary Dinos. The best-of-three series will begin February 22 at a time to be determined.