WINNIPEG – For the first time in 11 years, the Manitoba Bisons will play for a national title. The No. 3 seeded Herd knocked off the two-time defending national champion, No. 2 seed UBC Thunderbirds 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 32-30, 26-24) on Friday night on home court in front of a capacity crowd of over 2500.
 
This was the seventh match between the two sides since the 2023 national semi-finals. The T-Birds won that game, but the Herd have gone 6-0 since, including a two-game sweep of the Thunderbirds on the road earlier this season, and now this win, which was Manitoba's third consecutive appearance in the final four.
 
The Herd's starting roster is completely intact from the group that faced UBC at nationals two years ago, but rest assured, this is a bigger, stronger and faster unit and they showed that all night long against UBC.
 
"We've had a lot of growth as a team, and as individuals. Having those big moments three years ago has really set us up to play these big moments now as more evolved players and women," said fifth-year libero Julia Arnold, Manitoba's Player of the Game with a match-high 22 digs.
 
"It was apropos that we played [UBC] again in the semi. We got it done this time."
 
Manitoba won both sets that went to extra points, including fighting off a five-point deficit in the fourth, and set point multiple times in the third in one of the best volleyball games ever played at a national championship tournament.
 
Gritty defence, aggressive swings and persistence defined the contest all night. The two sides combined for 142 digs, while six different players finished in double digit kills in a game that last over two-and-a-half hours.
 
The T-Birds got a combined 32 kills from Akash Grewal and Lucy Borowski, who both hit from everywhere, nailing cut shots that had no business landing on countless occasions.
 
But the story on the attack came from the Bisons side, where two-time Player of the Year Raya Surinx set a four-set Bisons playoff record (rally scoring era) for kills, with 25, including the second and third set winners.
 
Both teams hit above .400 in an extremely efficient first set that saw 12 different players record a kill. With such clean play offensively, it was serve-receive that became a major factor.
 
The Thunderbirds opened up a 3-0 lead on the back of Grewal, who had 53 aces in the regular season, third in the nation. Grewal had three aces in the first, and her run with the score 10-9 UBC opened the game up for the visitors.
 
The Thunderbirds went on a six point run from the service line, and Manitoba wasn't able to level the score from there.
 
The hosts did make multiple runs however, paced by Katreena Bentley's 12 assists, and an .800 hitting percentage and four kills from Andi Almonte, who got it done with roll shots, cross court smashes and everything in between.
 
Ella Gray also subbed in midway through the match for Manitoba, recording two kills while hitting .400 with an assisted block, as both teams flexed their depth.
 
The two sides combined for 63 kills after two sets, and eight different players hit at least .300, as both teams continued to show why they've been in the national semi-finals on a consistent basis over the last number of years.
 
Setters Katreena Bentley and Issy Robertshaw dished out 54 total assists, moving the ball around to all six positions. In a set that went point for point, inspired defence was the deciding factor.
 
The play of the set came from the Bisons side, as Arnold, left side Light Uchechukwu, and Almonte (combined 43 digs in the game) kept the longest rally of the game going at 9-8, diving all over the floor on a play that Uchechukwu eventually ended from the left with her fourth kill.
 
Arnold saved the point twice with one hand, including a pancake dig, and Almonte also had a one-handed dig, while Uchechukwu leaped into the sponsor signage at the side of the stands to preserve the rally, later ending it on her own accord.
 
"That kind of solidified our game. Getting all those balls up is just Bisons volleyball," said Arnold.
 
"Being able to win that rally, it was like f**k yeah. It solidified that this was our game to win. If we can do that every single point, we which we can, we can win this game."
 
The game was tied multiple times in the 20s, as both sides continued to swing with authority. But when it mattered, the Herd were the more efficient team.
 
Surinx put down her 11^th kill of the game (hit .320 after two) to make it 24-22, and a UBC error gave Manitoba the set.
 
The third was arguably the most thrilling set of any contest in the country all season long.
 
The T-Birds fought off set point six different times as the match went into extra points, and they also had set point themselves multiple times, including at 28-27 on Grewal's 12^th kill, but it was Manitoba who kept swinging and came out on top.
 
Surinx had four kills in the 20s, and ended the marathon set at 32-30 on her 19^th kill and 49^th attack of the match, while adding two assisted blocks.
Bentley had a massive diving dig to save the rally, and Arnold was consistent in the points leading up to that. Surinx then made no mistake once she got the ball in her hands.
 
Net play became a huge factor in the set overall, with Manitoba tallying ten assisted blocks overall, after having just two in the first two sets, while the two sides were relentless in keeping the ball off the floor. Seven different players were in the double digits in digs entering the fourth.
 
"It was a battle from the first point," added Arnold.
 
"We talked about it a lot in the game too. We have fitness to rely on in moments like this. It's really important to acknowledge how that work really does pay off in the end when you're playing a national semi-final and you need that body of work to stay in every single point."
 
Middles Brenna Bedosky and Eve Catojo both had three assisted blocks, while Bedosky's efficiency in the middle (six kills in the game, .417 hitting percentage) was also important in the set win.
 
The T-Birds opened up an 11-6 lead in the fourth set, but Manitoba pushed back thanks to a Surinx kill and block. Later, she found a seam through a double block to give Manitoba a 17-16 lead, and it was all hands on deck from there.
 
Both sides stood in the pocket, digging the ball on insane rallies. Notably, T-Birds libero Olivia Furlan sprinted all the way from the front of the floor to the staging area past the end line to save an aggressive Surinx swing. The Thunderbirds eventually won the point to take a 22-20 lead.
 
But Manitoba responded with a three-point run of their own. Surinx continued to swing with fury, painting the back line, and an error handed Manitoba a 23-22 lead.
 
Grewal blasted her 16^th kill off the block to tie the game at 23, but Manitoba would not be denied. Catojo put down a middle kill, and right after, the Bisons earned their 24th point on their best rally of the set.
 
Grewal went at Arnold on three straight attacks, but the veteran libero stood strong, passing the ball on the money to Bentley each time. Manitoba's setter went to Surinx on three straight swings from the left, and her 68^th attack of the night landed.
 
One point later, Bedosky and Uchechukwu denied Borowski to send the Bisons to the gold medal game.
 
"I think in that fourth set, to climb back from an early deficit, I was really pleased with how we stayed persistent with our attack," said Bisons head coach Ken Bentley.
 
"We talked about our fitness before the fourth set started. We've got what we need. Don't hold back anything. Let's make it a full send. Stay firm and stay aggressive and keep hitting the ball. Raya hit some really big back row balls at the end there. She took some great chews. We needed those, but that's what we trained for. Those are the moments you can rely on."
 
Manitoba will play Montreal for the U SPORTS national championship tomorrow at 7 pm CT.