WINNIPEG – The No. 7 nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons flexed their grit on Saturday afternoon at IGAC against Trinity Western, battling back in multiple sets while showcasing their depth and fitness in a 3-1 win (27-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21). The victory was Manitoba's sixth in a row, as they improved to 8-4, while TWU fell to 5-7.
 
The visitors carried a 23-22 lead in the first set, and also led 19-16 in the fourth, but couldn't close out the Herd.
 
Manitoba had ten total team blocks, dug the ball 46 times and had five players hit above .270.
 
The nation's kills per set leader Raya Surinx led the attack with 21 kills, while fellow left side Andi Almonte added 11 kills and eight digs.
 
Libero Julia Arnold contributed 17 digs to lead the Herd, while also providing a steady presence on serve-receive. Meanwghile, middles Brenna Bedosky and Aviendah Plett combined for ten kills and eight assisted blocks.
 
The latter was making her first career U SPORTS start with the country's most efficient hitter Eve Catojo out of the lineup, and fit in seamlessly. She put down five assisted blocks and multiple kills in key moments.
 
The Spartans got a combined 45 kills from Maryn Boldon, Kaylee Plouffe and Faye Murray, while setter Sydney Gill had 35 assists and three aces.
 
"I thought today especially, was about finding a way to win when we weren't necessarily playing great volleyball, but you still have to stay gritty. We talked about gritty over pretty. We need these kinds of matches, to remember what it means to be battled-tested again," said Bisons head coach Ken Bentley.
 
"Trinity gave us all we could handle today for sure, which I totally expected. I thought we did a really good job of respecting them coming into today. The team knew it was going to be really hard today, and I thought they did a really good job of not assuming anything less. I was really proud of that from our team. We showed some maturity, and respect for a really good team."
 
A back-and-forth first set that went to extras saw 11 different players record a kill. Maryn Boldon and Kaylee Plouffe combined for nine kills for TWU, while Surinx had nine for the Herd.
 
Trinity took a 23-21 lead following a Boldon cross-court kill and block alongside Isabella Stothart, but Manitoba responded.
 
Serving sub Chloe Ellerbrock entered the game and immediately put down an ace, while Manitoba setter Katreena Bentley – who had 13 assists in the first and 45 in the game – dropped down low to deliver an accurate pass to Surinx for set point.
 
A Boldon kill leveled the match at 24 as the two sides continued to trade momentum, but Manitoba's consistency on defence ultimately paid off.
 
A Trinity error led to a 26-25 Bisons lead, and then Arnold delivered a brilliant pass in system to Bentley, who found Almonte to finish off the rally for the set winner.
 
Almonte's cross-court kill from the left was part of a diverse showing that also included four digs and an assisted block.
 
The two sides traded two-point leads in set two, with service pressure playing a major factor late.
 
A Surinx ace blasted through the seam of TWU's defence to tie the game at 20, but Boldon put down an ace of her own, as the Spartans took a 23-20 lead and finished off the set with spirited play from the back line and a strong right side presence from Boldon and Faye Murray.
 
The duo combined for 15 kills entering the third, blasting multiple kills off hands.
 
Back line play continued to dictate the conversation in set three, with the two sides combining for 15 aces entering the fourth.
 
Almonte put down back-to-back aces to give Manitoba a 4-1 lead, but the Spartans pressed the issue themselves.
 
A Gill ace was followed by a Boldon kill down the line from the right which tied things up at four.
 
The Herd continued to side out at a high volume as the set progressed, once again building momentum with service pressure and defensive intensity. Plett added an ace and was a menace at the net, while left side Ella Gray also got in on the fun from the line.
 
"She did great," Bentley said of Plett following her first U SPORTS start.
 
"That was a game time decision. Eve couldn't go today, and Avi didn't blink. We've been through this before, last year with Raya, and we just plugged and played. Avi was great. She weathered the storm, she stayed in the fight. She did a great job at the net. She was awesome."
 
Bedosky, who had six kills, three assisted blocks and led the team with a .417 hitting percentage, helped lift her side to victory late. She and Almonte combined for an assisted block to put the Herd on set point, and the middle closed things out with a kill through the seam.
 
It's the third game in a row that Bedosky has hit at least .400, while her career hitting percentage of .325 (minimum 800 attempts) is tenth in Canada West history, and second-best in the rally scoring era in school history.
 
"She's just consistently improved and worked hard at it. She's been more patient with the ball getting ahead of her, and catching up to it," Bentley said of Bedosky.
 
"She's got a much better level of awareness of where she needs to be when Katreena has the ball, her transition is way better. She's just been more available, and put in the time with her training and diligence. She's really consistent as a middle player. I'm proud of her."
 
The Spartans opened up multiple four-point leads in set four, including 18-14. Plouffe – who led Trinity Western with a .370 hitting percentage – had three kills during the visitor's late run, but Manitoba wouldn't be denied.
 
A serving run from Bedosky gave Manitoba a 21-19 lead and they didn't trail the rest of the way.
 
Plett won a 50-50 ball at the net to increase Manitoba's lead to two, and Gray – who had eight kills, six digs and three assisted blocks, ended the match with a lethal cross court shot from the left.
 
"We just found a way to stay in it. It was an arduous climb in that fourth set," said Bentley.
 
"Again, our fitness just allowed us to keep coming at them and stay tough, and play every point as hard as we could. We dug a hole of our own accord in the fourth set. We missed two serves and made two hitting errors right out of the gate, but regardless, you still have to stay in it and keep fighting, and I thought we did a really good job of that."
 
Manitoba continues their second half push on the road against UBCO next weekend, a team they swept in the Canada West quarterfinals a year ago.