WINNIPEG – Over the years, the Bisons men's volleyball team has been known for their strong defence in the front row.
Brendan Warren — who tied a single-game record for blocks with 16 in 2018-19 — has been a major factor in that regard, having led Canada West on multiple occasions.
Warren was yet again a factor for Manitoba on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 8 ranked Bisons, who were second in the conference with 162 total blocks this season, knocked off the No. 4 Toronto Varsity Blues 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 29-27).
Manitoba had 15.5 total team blocks, compared to just four for the U of T. Warren paced the group with nine total blocks, which was the most of any Canada West player in a three-set match this season, and just one shy of the conference playoff record.
Overall, the Herd had 27 assisted blocks, with five different players tallying at least four. Fellow middle
Darian Koskie and setter
Jack Mandryk had a quartet, while
Ben Carleton had five,
Owen Schwartz had six, and Warren had seven in a total team effort up front.
"I think it really started with the servers," admitted Warren of his side, who had four aces in the match, led by two from Carleton.
"By putting in a good serve and taking the setter off the net, it makes it a lot easier for a guy like me, and our outsides too, like Jack, Owen, those guys were solid up there. It makes my job easier when all I have to focus on is closing."
For Warren, the road back to the starting lineup has been long and arduous. He suffered a season-ending injury prior to the start of the 2019-20 campaign, and at times was unsure if he would ever see the court again. His diligence in rehab and patience in the trusting the process has paid off, as he entered this season with a renewed work ethic and a lead by example attitude that his teammates have admired.
"It was a tough journey for sure. It was long, there was a lot of rehab and a lot of long days. But I just knew that the end goal would be worth it, and it would pay off," he said. "Now, being able to reap my rewards and get on the court again, there's a new sense of gratitude. There was a time when I thought maybe I wouldn't play again, but it's been awesome."
"Since Brendan came here, we've been at the top in blocks. Even when he wasn't on the floor necessarily, he helps us improve so much in practice. He's a big reps guy. He's always out there showing us how it's done and leading by example and asking coaches to go through the drill one more time," added fellow middle
Zach Janzen.
"He's in there 30 minutes early getting his arms warm and he's getting extra reps. He has such a great work ethic and leads by example. He's taking every practice and game as seriously as possible."
Manitoba's play at the net opened up their offence, including a potent pipe attack that Carleton, Schwartz and conference All-Rookie member
Spencer Grahame — who led the team with 12 kills — all employed.
A back-and-forth first set was taken over by Grahame, with the score 6-5. The All-Rookie member recorded three kills in a row with a diverse attack that came from all angles, including the pipe. He led all attackers after one, with seven kills and a .636 hitting percentage.
"Jack set me up really nice today. I had a really good matchup with a smaller blocker, and that really put me in a good position to succeed," Grahame said.
"I think it really started with our block defence. We put up really big blocks and they were just tossing over free balls or tips, and we were able to transition that into a pipe, middle offence, which we excel at."
A service ace from Carleton rounded out a four-point run by the Bisons, who never trailed the rest of the way. Toronto clawed back to get within two on multiple occasions, thanks to six combined kills from the team's leading attacker Evan Falardeau and outside Mitchell Neuert, but they couldn't contain an impressive Bisons front row, that recorded a combined 5.5 total team blocks, including nine assisted.
Manitoba went on a run yet again in the second, pulling away on a 3-0 burst with the score tied 5-5. Carleton tallied three of the team's next four points during the set, going cross court multiple times on great dishes from Mandryk. He had six kills overall, and a .357 hitting percentage entering the third.
From there, it was the Bisons front row that took over. Toronto had immense trouble sneaking past countless Manitoba double blocks, which included a solo block and two assisted from Warren, and three assisted from Mandryk, who combined for two in a row with the score 11-7. Falardeau and Neuert continued to lead the way for the Varsity Blues, with ten combined kills through two, while the former also had five digs.
Toronto head coach John Barrett brought substitute Martin Licht in for the third set, and it paid off big time. He went off for eight kills on 12 attempts and had four digs and an assisted block, as the Varsity Blues kept pace with Manitoba. It wasn't enough though, as Carleton, Grahame and Schwartz continued to play lights out, all hitting above .230 in the match, thanks to excellent passing from Mandryk, who finished with 31 assists.
Toronto had a few chances to close the game out up by one, but errors cost them. The Herd eventually finished the bout with a service ace from Koskie.
Manitoba will close their season off tomorrow in the consolation final at 11 a.m., where they'll take on another OUA opponent in McMaster.
