WINDSOR – After willing their way to victories in loud, hostile gyms in back-to-back playoff contests to get to nationals, it was fitting that Manitoba’s final game of the season, once again, took place amidst a sold-out crowd, on the road. 

With over 1,500 fans cheering against them, the Bisons men’s volleyball team blocked out the noise one more time, silencing the home crowd with a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 25-16, 25-23) of the host Windsor Lancers to claim bronze at the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship. 

It was Manitoba’s first medal at nationals in 14 years, their last coming in 2012 against Queen’s. 

“In UBCO, even Winnipeg in the Duckworth Challenge, we’ve played in some pretty hostile gyms. This year, we kind of rose to the challenge,” reflected Eric Ogaranko, one of seven graduating seniors.

“It almost helped our team out in a way. It’s pretty cool to say that we got to end it on a win, not many teams and not many seniors can say that. Looking back on the whole career, it was a perfect way to end things. I’m really happy right now.”

Bisons setter Sammy Ludwig was named Manitoba’s Player of the Game, facilitating a balanced offence which saw five different players record at least six kills, led by left side Owen Weekes’ 16. 

Ludwig finished with 36 assists, two assisted blocks and three digs, closing the game out with a brilliant back set to right side Karil Dadash Adeh (six kills, two aces, six digs), who blasted the ball through the seam of a late Lancers double block. 

Middle Jordon Heppner was also named a tournament all-star, concluding the three-game weekend with 18 kills, nine assisted blocks and three aces. Against Windsor, Heppner was perfect on the attack, with six kills on six attacks. Fellow middle Jonah Dueck added six kills on nine attacks, hitting .444.

On the other side, the Bisons negated the presence of Lancers impact middle Darian Koskie, who led the country in hitting percentage in the regular season, at .475, while adding 14 kills and a .619 hitting percentage in the team’s quarterfinal win against Montreal. Against Manitoba, Koskie – a former Bison who was the 2019-20 Male Rookie of the Year – had just one kill on ten attacks, hitting zero percent in the contest. 

Like they’d done all season, Manitoba’s blocking at the net proved to be too much, including against Koskie. The country’s best team in that department racked up 12 assisted blocks compared to four for Windsor, including a denial from Dueck and Ludwig which ended set two. 

Manitoba’s block was aided by intense pressure at the service line. Dadash Adeh and Heppner both had two aces, while Ludwig and Dueck added one. 

Ogaranko, the longest serving member on the roster, was also assertive with his serving, as the Bisons did an excellent job adjusting to Windsor’s defensive tendencies. 

“We were very, very disciplined in our blocking. You could see we shut down their best players again. Usually Darian Koskie is their guy to go to, and we pretty much shut him down,” said Bisons head coach Arnd ‘Lupo’ Ludwig.

“Our serving today was unbelievable. All year everybody had the same serve, and today they noticed that Windsor was coming forward, so they had to get a little bit tougher in their serving. Sammy, Eric and Jonah, instead of the easy floats, they put in these tougher spin serves. Windsor struggled a lot with that. I’m super proud of these guys, what they did today.”

Sets one and three were both tightly contested, but it was the Bisons who emerged victorious. Battled tested from many similar types of games during the year – including a 26-24 comeback in set two against UBCO in game three of the conference quarterfinals – Manitoba stayed composed and got the job done. 

In the first, Weekes went off for three kills in four points for Manitoba, closing out a set that went back-and-forth. Windsor narrowed what was once a 24-21 Bisons lead, to 24-23, but Weekes shut the door with an emphatic kill from the right side, his ninth of the set. 

Manitoba led by as much as six in the third, but the Lancers once again made a push to get within one multiple times. But the Bisons wouldn’t be denied. 

The Herd hit .292 in the set, with five different players recording a kill, including three from Ogaranko, and Dadash Adeh eventually ended things on an in system run. 

“The boys deserved it. What they put in this year, the leadership group, how they led everybody, the work that everybody put in, not only the guys, but the staff around it, it’s super rewarding,” said Ludwig.