WINNIPEG – In a tight battle with a combined 14 aces, 27 assisted blocks and 70 digs, it was efficiency that helped tell the story, as the UBC Thunderbirds beat the Manitoba Bisons 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-21) for a weekend sweep. The T-Birds improved to 4-0 while Manitoba fell to 0-4.
 
The visitors hit .304, compared to .125 for Manitoba, recording 55 kills, compared to 31 for the hosts. Three different UBC players finished with double digit kills, led by Gavin Moes' 14, while Manitoba had three different players with at least six kills, paced by eight from Eric Ogaranko.
 
At the service line, Jordon Heppner put down three aces for Manitoba, and now has 90 in the regular season in his career for the Herd.
 
All three of Heppner's aces came in the first set, as the Bisons opened the match with a three-point win. They hit .240, with Heppner and fellow veteran middle Jonah Dueck combining for seven kills, including an impressive cut shot from Dueck from the front row.
 
Dueck and Ogaranko also combined for an assisted block late in the set, helping the hosts take a 1-0 lead.
 
Hitting efficiency went the way of UBC in the final three sets. They hit .423, .242 and .300, compared to .045, .143 and .048 for Manitoba. Mason Greves spread the UBC offence out well with 48 assists, while strong service pressure, especially in the fourth, allowed UBC to surge ahead and ultimately win.
 
Alex Emery had two key aces in the fourth and was a force in the middle, as different UBC players stepped up at key times late in sets. The Herd pushed back, with setter Alex Witt, who had 26 assists, putting his body on the line to find teammates for good looks while also banking an ace in the third set.
 
Owen Weekes also came up big for Manitoba with three kills and two assisted blocks in the fourth set, but untimely errors cost the Bisons down the stretch.
 
 Manitoba is back at home this weekend, facing Calgary on Thursday and Friday at 7:45 pm.