WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Bisons battled back from a set down, showing tremendous resiliency in a 3-1 win over Mount Royal (21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-19). The victory improved their record to 6-6 while MRU fell to 6-6. The two teams are now level for sixth in the standings.
 
The turning point in the match came late in the second. Already up 1-0 in the game, the visitors had set point at 24-22, but Manitoba fought back with four straight points to take the set. Sustained service pressure, a diverse attack and a notable blocking display were key in helping the hosts maintain the momentum from the second, as they won the game in four.
 
Sammy Ludwig had 38 assists for Manitoba, and Owen Weekes, Jordon Heppner, Eric Ogaranko, Jonah Dueck, Karil Dadash Adeh and Kai Boyko combined for 44 kills and 13 assisted blocks.
 
Mount Royal got 12 kills from Kale Orr and had ten aces overall in the loss.
 
"We demoralized the other team with this. It was tough for them to recover after that," said Bisons head coach Arnd 'Lupo' Ludwig on Manitoba's momentum after coming back to win the second set.
 
"We played with confidence. On our side there was a little bit more awareness there [towards the end of the second]. We played a little bit cooler and calmer on the court after that."
 
Manitoba burst out to a 14-10 lead in set one, recording zero errors along the way. Weekes paced the attack with four kills, including an impressive cut shot from the left for Manitoba's 12^th point.
 
But the Cougars battled back with strong service pressure and inspired play at the net. A Devon Sales-Parno ace tied the game at 17, and Cody Hudson and Grant Hill combined for a block shortly after to give the visitors an 18-17 lead.
 
Weekes put down his sixth kill to give Manitoba back the lead at 20-19, but MRU scored six of the next eight points to take the set. Hill ended it on an ace, with the hosts recording three errors down the stretch.
 
Set two went down to the wire, with both sides flashing incredible athleticism and power that brought the crowd to their feet.
 
Ryan John racked up his fourth kill through the seam of a double block to give MRU a 23-22 lead, and Orr added his fifth kill right after, blasting a kill off Manitoba's triple block.
 
But the Herd responded emphatically, coming back to take the set 26-24. Dadash Adeh was key during the rally. First, he smashed a kill off MRU's triple block, and he followed that up with a powerful ace to tie the game.
 
One point later, Ludwig put down the play of the match. Running all the way to the end line, he sprawled to deliver a back set over the net to keep a long rally going, which he eventually ended with a dump. Manitoba took the second a point later on an error.
 
"Everything started with Karil's serving," noted Ludwig.
 
"He played great in that situation. He put a lot of pressure on [MRU], and our block defence is very strong, which played to our advantage. But it started with Karil's serving."
 
Manitoba broke the third set wide open with the score 12-11. They rattled off five straight points, paced by an impressive service run from Weekes and a diverse attack.
 
Much like yesterday, Ludwig balanced out the offence, integrating middles Dueck and Heppner in key moments. The duo combined for 11 kills entering the fourth, with just one error, as the hosts won the set by seven, with Weekes closing it out with two straight kills.
 
Manitoba went up 9-3 early in the fourth and didn't trail the rest of the way. Heppner, Dueck and Ogaranko got in on blocks during the run, as the hosts racked up 18 total blocks by that time, with six different players recording at least two in the game.