LANGLEY, BC — Despite a third set win, the Manitoba Bisons were unable to get much more off of the No. 2 ranked Trinity Western Spartans on Saturday at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday, as they lost 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 27-25).

The win concluded the Bisons season with a 7-15 record. Trinity Western improved to 18-4 and sealed the second seed in the Canada West playoffs.

Fittingly, Manitoba was led by their fifth-year in his final match in brown and gold, as Dustin Spiring had 18 kills on an excellent .361. He also added nine digs, three service aces, and one block. Owen Schwartz also had 13 kills for the Herd, who threatened in the latter three sets but could only close one out.

The Spartans got key plays from their veterans as well on senior night, with graduating player Riley Vander Meulen earning the match-winning block at 27-25. Fellow senior Cam Slomp also had a service run late to bolster the Spartans.

"It was a fun match. It was fun to watch those seniors play on their special night and it was fun to get into an uncomfortable and hotly contested playoff-like match," said Spartans head coach Ben Josephson. "I love that we had that type of pressure and I love how well Manitoba played tonight. You can't buy that kind of pressure."

Trinity Western looked ready to repeat a dominant Friday performance in the first set, jumping out with 18 kills and a .467 hitting percentage to win by seven points. In the second, though, Manitoba responded by taking a 14-10 lead thanks to two Spartans errors. While the home side came back to win, promising signs were there for Manitoba, as they hit .267 to the Spartans' .182.

In the third, it finally came together for the Bisons. After taking a 16-12 lead at the technical timeout, Manitoba's defence powered them to a 25-23 win, as they had a 7-4 edge in digs. The set win also snapped a 20-set winning streak by the Spartans.

In the fourth, Trinity Western would finish things off, but not without a significant fight from the visitors. The Bisons once again had the lead at the technical timeout (16-15) and had a 21-18 lead late. At 23-20, Slomp's service run provided the Spartans with enough juice to come back, eventually winning 27-25.

The loss ends the Bisons season, as they finish outside of post-season contention.