It may be cold outside, but IGAC will certainly be warm as Manitoba's volleyball programs, two of the hottest teams in the nation, welcome perennial contender Trinity Western to town for what should be a series of all-time classics.
Overall, the Bisons have won 17 games in a row, with the No. 8 nationally ranked women winners of ten straight, while the men have won seven in a row.
On the women's side, the 12-2 Bisons swept a tough MacEwan team last weekend, where five of seven sets went into the 20s for both sides.
Raya Surinx, the nation's leader in kills with 233, as well as kills per set, with 4.85, had a combined 38 against GMU, and is 45 kills ahead of the next closest player in the nation statistically.
In general, the Bisons' aggressiveness at the service line has been key to their success. Surinx is sixth in the nation with 25 aces, using a challenging and uncommon jump spin serve to stymy the opposition. She is hitting the ball in excess of 90 kilometres an hour, forcing the opposition to play out of system often.
Crafty right side
Andi Almonte isn't far behind, with a career-high 22 aces. A supremely intelligent player, Almonte -- a standard float server when she started as a Bison -- has developed a hybrid jump spin-float style that the opposition has had trouble detecting all year. Usually opponents don't know what to expect until she hits the ball.
On the other side, No. 1 ranked TWU, the defending conference champs, lost five of six starters from a year ago, but have been up to their usual tricks at 12-0. Their play on both offence and defence has been dictated by physical middle Kaylee Plouffe, who leads the nation with a .425 hitting percentage, and 1.31 blocks per set. She and her teammates will face their biggest test yet when they match up against cerebral setter
Katreena Bentley, who leads the nation with 10.67 assists per set.
Manitoba middle
Brenna Bedosky could be the x-factor. She's hitting .433 with just 19 errors, displaying a versatile repertoire at the net that has frustrated the opposition. Her kills per set total has also increased from 1.54 to a career-high 2.09 this year.
On the men's side, the 10-4 'Zoons are also coming off a sweep of GMU. Left side
Spencer Grahame enjoyed the best weekend of his Bisons career, collecting a combined 38 kills, including a career-high 22 last Friday. He leads the Herd with 160 kills on the year, just 26 shy of his career best from two seasons ago, when he was named to the Canada West All-Rookie Team.
Middle
Harrison Ens is also coming off a career weekend, where he nailed a personal best 11 kills on Friday with just two errors. Additionally, left side
Ethan Hildebrand stepped up with
Ben Carleton out of the lineup with a season-ending injury. He had a career high five kills on Saturday and nine in two games.
Defensively, the Bisons continue to be one of the best blocking teams in the country, while libero
Josh Jehle is second in the nation with 119 digs. At the net, Manitoba's 150 total blocks are second in U SPORTS, led by middle
Jonah Dueck's 1.18 blocks per set, and
Jordon Heppner's 56 total blocks, both of which are top five stats in the country.
As a team, the 'Zoons are seventh in the nation with 82 aces, which has been key to their play at the net, keeping the opposition out of system. They'll need to be on the money against the 6-6, No. 8 nationally ranked Spartans, who have not lost to Manitoba since 2015-16. They're led by Henry Rempel's 201 kills, which rank fourth, along with setter Anselm Rein's 10.26 assists per set, which are third in the nation.
