WINNIPEG – Setter Sammy Ludwig tied his career high with 51 assists, facilitating a balanced offence in a 3-2 Manitoba win (25-21, 23-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-10) on Friday at IGAC. 

Five different Bisons recorded at least eight kills, including middles Jonah Dueck and Jordon Heppner, who combined for 24, with just two total errors, while hitting above .500 combined. Owen Weekes led the attack with 17 kills, and the hosts had six aces. 

The Cougars got 36 combined kills from Ryan John and Kale Orr, but it was the diversity of the hosts attack that helped make the difference, especially in the middle. 

“The goal was to get the middles going. The last couple of weeks, especially over the break, I’ve been really focused on dialing in the middle connection. They’ve been great about it, they’ve been super helpful,” said Ludwig.

“It worked obviously really well. I was happy about that. Everyone else filled in great too in their roles.”

The win improved Manitoba’s record to 5-6, just one win behind 6-5 MRU for sixth in the standings.

The two sides traded momentum at the service line in set one. The Herd opened up a 13-8 lead thanks to aces from Kai Boyko and Weekes, while Ludwig dished out ten aces overall for the hosts, who were in system often thanks to their pressure at the line. 

The Cougars responded with three aces of their own, one each from Orr, John and Isaac Karstad, cutting Manitoba’s lead to 22-20 late. But the hosts finished the set with three straight points, thanks in part to Ludwig’s passing. 

Ludwig’s best dish during the run came after MRU had cut Manitoba’s lead to two. He used all of his 6’5” length to keep the ball from travelling over the net, delivering a one-handed pass to Dueck, who blasted home a kill to make it 23-20. 

The Cougars took a four-point lead early in set two, but Manitoba responded at the line once more. Boyko went on a service run that included an ace, and Heppner did the same shortly after, giving his side a 10-9 lead. 

Heppner’s blast, which painted the line, was the 100th in his career in the regular season as a Bison, as he became just the third player in the rally scoring era in school history to reach that total. 

The rest of the set was back and forth as the two teams traded one-point leads. Heppner and Dueck combined for 11 kills out of the middle after two, and both hit above .500, but the Cougars had a dynamic duo of their own in John and Orr, who helped level the match at one set each. 

The pair combined for 23 kills entering the third, with Orr giving his side a 23-21 lead, and John finished the second off shortly after. 

John’s 11th kill to level the match came with the Bisons throwing up a triple block. The MRU hitter displayed his power by blasting the ball off Manitoba’s brick wall for the 25-23 set win. 

Service pressure and a balanced attack continued to be the story for Manitoba in set three. Eric Ogaranko posted an off-speed ace to help Manitoba take a 10-6 lead early, and Heppner recorded his second ace later on, as the hosts maintained a four-point lead for most of the set, eventually winning 25-19.

On the attack, Heppner and Dueck eight had eight kills out of the middle, as Ludwig consistently found them in system with fantastic timing. The veterans each hit above .600 entering the fourth with just one error, while Ogaranko, Weekes and Boyko combined for 25 kills in a balanced showing. 

“I thought our serving was great,” added Ludwig. 

Mount Royal opened up a seven-point lead in set four, at 21-14, once again paced by John and Orr. The latter’s service pressure helped set up the former, who combined for 32 kills overall. 

Manitoba fought back on the block. Ludwig posted two assisted and a solo in a three-point comeback as the Herd cut the Cougars’ lead to one at 23-22, but John responded with a monster kill from the left, and two points later, MRU took the set off a Manitoba error. 

Ludwig continued to spread Manitoba’s offence around in set five, as the Bisons surged to a five point lead, taking the fifth 15-10. He found Weekes for a back set that the latter put down late in the set, and Benjamin Kuhner – who stepped off the bench in set four to make an impact on the block and the attack – ended the match with a kill from the left.