WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Bison women's volleyball team begin post-season play this weekend as they travel to Alberta to take on the No. 3 ranked Calgary Dinos in the Canada West Quarterfinals.
The best-of-three series begins with Game 1 on Thursday, February 21 at 4:30 p.m. Game 2 will be Friday, February 22 at 4:30 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will be Saturday, February 23 at 1 p.m. All times are central standard.
All playoff matches can be streamed on CanadaWest.TV (pay-per-view).
Finishing the season with a 12-12 record, the Bisons got into the post-season after beating MacEwan in a standings tiebreaker (sets won/sets lost) and were bumped back a seed after a double tiebreaker with Mount Royal (points for/points against). They find themselves in the eighth and final seed, taking on a top-seeded Dinos team that, at 19-5, has been tough for opponents to stop this season.
Manitoba will counter with an attack that's been led in recent weeks by third-year right side
Kearley Abbott but has been a committee approach all season. Abbott leads the Bisons with 2.87 kills per set, but four other Bisons have averaged at least 1.80:
Josie Abbott (1.84),
Tori Studler (1.88),
Laura Findlay (2.22), and
Jocelyn Koswin (2.36). These five players have shared the offensive load for much of the season and all are poised for breakout performances on any given night.
The back line, meanwhile, has been anchored by a record-breaking year from fifth-year libero
Cassie Bujan. In the regular season, Bujan broke Canada West single season records for both digs (448) and digs per set (4.87), the latter mark breaking a 12-year-old conference high. She finishes her regular season career with the second-most digs all-time at 1,332.
Against Calgary's top hitters, Bujan and the rest of the Bisons will be on their toes. The Dinos are led by fourth-year outside Kate Pexman, who has led the team with 3.47 kills per set on .296 percentage. Right on her heels is third-year outside Hannah Tanasichuk, who is averaging 3.26 kills per set.
Both Pexman and Tanasichuk have benefited from an excellent setting season by fifth-year Leah Shevkenek. The offensive decision-maker for the Dinos, Shevkenek set a conference career record for assists after recording 757 in 2018-19.
The winner of this weekend's series will advance to the Canada West Semifinals, beginning February 28.
DETAILS:
Game 1: Thursday, February 21 – 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: Friday, February 22 – 4:30 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, February 23 – 1 p.m.
Jack Simpson Gym – Calgary, AB
Canada West Final Standings
Conference Statistics
U SPORTS Top 10 – February 12, 2019
HOOFPRINTS
- Defensive fortitude: Led by the aforementioned Cassie Bujan, the back line of the Bisons' defence has been tremendous as a whole — ranking first in the conference in both digs (1,609) and digs per set (17.49).
- Error struggling: One potential weak point for the Bisons this season has been their errors, as they have the fifth-most in the conference with 508.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: MANITOBA BISONS
- Kelsey Jordan (S / 2nd Year): Playing in 23 matches this season, Jordan has been the lead setter for the Herd with 749 assists. Her offence has also come into play, as she averages 0.57 kills per set and is second on the team with 24 service aces.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: CALGARY DINOS
- Beth Vinnell (M / 4th Year): The top scoring middle for the Dinos, Vinnell has averaged 2.55 kills per set and 0.95 blocks per set. Her well-rounded game also includes 19 service aces.
