WINNIPEG – Missing the nation's kills leader Raya Surinx for a second week in a row, the No. 3 nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons confidently pushed on, knocking off the UBCO Heat 3-0 (25-17, 25-17 25-9) on Friday at IGAC in game one of the Canada West quarterfinals.
 
The hosts never trailed in the game, getting a combined 44 kills, led by 13 from Andi Almonte. Setter Katreena Bentley had 37 assists. They are now 12-0 at home this season.
 
The Heat played inspired from the service line with five aces, along with two solo blocks from Natalie Funk, but a .049 hitting percentage proved costly.
 
"We do miss [Surinx] obviously, Raya was a big part of our team, but I think all of us have our roles that we have to play," said Almonte.
 
"Some of us have to step up now that one of our players is gone. We're really working together to try and win."
 
Manitoba didn't record their first attacking error until 13 points into the first set, hitting .324 overall in an eight point win where they never trailed.
 
The Heat got strong service pressure throughout, including an ace from Winnipeg native Abigail Dueck, who also had seven assists, but a .079 hitting percentage hurt UBCO. They also got stuck with setter Dueck in the front row for the first seven points, removing a potential attacking option from the front row, with Bisons setter Katreena Bentley going on an early service run.
 
Bentley, the Canada West single-season assists record holder, dished up 14 in the first. She found three different players for kills in the first seven points, with her most impressive passing coming with the score 23-17.
 
Bentley sprinted from her right to left, going to her knees to pass a ball via bump to captain Light Uchechukwu, who blasted it off hands from the attack line.
 
The Heat had a stellar first set from Natalie Funk, who had two solo blocks and two kills. One of those solos came on a play where she sprinted from the middle to her left to close a seam, with the ball falling to the Bisons' back line.
 
In a deja-vu situation, Manitoba only had one attacking error in their first 13 points of set two, opening up a seven point lead which included two early kills from the right from Almonte in transition.
 
The Heat's front row presence continued to be a factor.
 
Dueck and Madison Gardner combined for an assisted block, and six total team blocks entering the third, but Bentley made the right reads, which included kills from the back row from Uchechukwu and Ella Gray, who used their power and vision to combine for nine kills through two.
 
The Heat made the push in the back half of the second set, with their service pressure a major story.
 
Funk got on the board with an ace, as the visitors closed Manitoba's lead to as little as three multiple times, but the Herd closed the set out with the score 20-17.
 
With Bentley at the service line, the Bisons scored five points in a row, getting inspired play at the net.
 
The highlight came with the score 21-17.
 
Middle Eve Catojo sprinted from the centre of the front row to the left, using her 6'1" length to deny a UBCO attack that eventually ended in an error.
 
"It was an athletic play, she saw it, got there and played it fast and hard," added Bisons head coach Ken Bentley on the Catojo block.
 
"She made a great play on the ball. We practice those kinds of things too, but it was great instincts to find it, turn and go get it."
 
Through two, Catojo had six kills, a .750 attacking percentage and a game-high four assisted blocks.
 
"We always come out with a decent efficiency in the middle," said Catojo.
 
"I think the difference today was the volume. It was really nice to get that trust from my setter, she set me dimes, it felt really good."
 
The hosts opened up a 10-3 lead in the third, forcing a UBCO timeout.
 
Uchechukwu opened the set with a one-handed diving dig that led to a Heat error, while Gray put down her second ace of the day during the run.
 
But UBCO didn't relent, continuing to push play at the service line.
 
Funk got her second ace, and fifth overall for the visitors to narrow Manitoba's lead to five, however when the ball was in play, the Herd's transition game continued to be lethal.
 
Uchechukwu put down her fifth kill from the left, highlighted by a Bentley assist where she ran all the way to the attack line, pushing the ball to the Herd's captain for the kill as the Bisons opened up a double-digit lead to emerge with the game one victory.
 
The two teams will play again tomorrow at 2 pm in game two.