WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Bisons came back from a set down, and 9-5 in the fifth to deliver a statement win over the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday afternoon at IGAC (25-19, 15-25, 25-27, 25-21, 15-10).
 
Trailing two sets to one, the Herd commanded set four to level the match, and they showed incredible resolve and grit in set five, scoring six unanswered points to erase a four-point deficit en route to a five-point win.
 
Outside hitter Owen Weekes – who tied his career high with 22 kills – got the comeback started with a cross-court smash from the left, with setter Sammy Ludwig going back to him for three straight attacks during the sequence.
 
That cued an enormous momentum shift, with veteran Eric Ogaranko aiding the comeback at the service line in a 10-1 swing.
 
A Jonah Dueck kill, along with a solo block and two key digs were also part of the surge, while the 6'5" Ludwig added three kills from the right down the stretch, including the game-ender.
 
Ludwig finished with a season-high six kills and .455 hitting percentage. Saskatchewan got a combined 39 kills from Emmett Graham and Isaiah Mamer, but it was the hosts who had the juice at the end.
 
With the win, Manitoba swept their prairie rivals, improving to 8-6 on the season, maintaining a top six position in the standings. Saskatchewan fell to 7-9. The Herd are now 4-0 in the winter term.
 
"I was just saying to the boys, one at a time, one at a time. When you're down 9-5, it's easy to think shoot, they've got us. But at the timeout I'm like boys, just believe it," said Weekes of his side's mentality during the comeback.
 
"We've been through a lot this year. We've been grinding. We had a good winter break, we went to Montreal and played a really good team. These last two months have been a lot of hard work. We just kept on going, one point at a time."
 
Both teams were extremely efficient in set one. The Huskies hit .310, with leading attacker Graham recording five kills, after being held to seven in three sets yesterday. Mamer added four kills, and hit .571, but it was Manitoba who earned the set, thanks to a .520 hitting percentage.
 
Weekes put down six kills, while hitting .667, and Ludwig dished out assists to every starter on the floor, with adding two himself, and Manitoba had just one error in a six-point set win.
 
Mamer helped set the tone in set two, serving up three aces as the Huskies opened up a 12-4 lead and hit .519 overall. He added nine kills entering the third, hitting .643, including an impressive line shot over a double block as the visitors took the second set by ten.
 
Weekes paced Manitoba with nine kills entering the third, while Benjamin Kuhner subbed in and added a kill and some inspired defence that included a diving effort to save a ball where he slid under the net.
 
The third set was an absolute thriller. Saskatchewan opened up a 4-0 lead on back-to-back blocks from Mathieu Methot and Graham, but Manitoba battled back, eventually taking an 18-16 lead thanks to a kill and ace from Dueck.
 
Dueck's run from the middle was set up by a phenomenal one-handed assist by Ludwig, but the set was far from over.
 
Aaron Elser and Jacob Baird helped push the visitors back into the lead with aces, and they had set point at 24-22. Manitoba however, had the response.
 
Weekes – who entered the fourth set with 16 kills – cut the deficit to one with a kill set up by his own dig, and the long arms of Dueck helped tie the game with a one-handed denial that led to an error.
 
But the Huskies pushed ahead with strong back row play, including a long rally won on a kill by Elser. Mamer – who added nine digs after three – ended things with a pipe attack one rally later.
 
Manitoba never trailed in set four, opening up an early lead with a Jordon Heppner solo block, followed by an Oragranko ace. As a team, the hosts hit .333, with Ogaranko pacing a diverse Bisons attack with roll shots, tips and blasts from the pipe. He entered the fifth set with seven kills, while Weekes added six more kills for the hosts, smashing down a variety of line shots.
 
Graham had three of Sask's first nine points in the fifth, helping his side to a four-point lead, but it was all Bisons from there.
 
Dueck recorded his second solo block of the game during the run, which livened up his side in a major way. He added a kill, while Ludwig had four key assists and three kills.
 
"Jonah had a huge block. When you're down by five, and you get a huge slam like that, it gets the boys going," boasted Weekes.
 
"And then I got one, and just like that we were right there [in points]."
 
Ludwig was unstoppable from the right to cap the game. He had three of Manitoba's final five kills, and the visitors had no answer.
"Sammy wants to hit all the time," smiled Bisons head coach Arnd 'Lupo' Ludwig.

"That's just what he wants. We tried to do it. He's played right side in pre-season games, and in Montreal when we had a scrimmage he played on the right side. We know that he can do it. His aggressiveness that he had today, it was amazing. It helped us secure that fifth set."
 
Manitoba travels to MacEwan next weekend to play the Griffins.