Box Score Courtesy of Manitoba Bisons Sports Information
Winnipeg, MB – The fourth-ranked University of Manitoba Bison men's volleyball team kept their undefeated streak alive, winning in three straight sets (25-21, 25-19, 25-20) over the fifth-ranked Mount Royal Cougars on Nov. 7 at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
The contest was not as close as the night before when Manitoba won each set by three points or less, but it was still hotly contested. The Cougars were constantly working to claw their way back after Manitoba took an early lead in each set.
Bisons Head Coach Garth Pischke, coaching for his 34th year, credits his team's winning streak to playing consistent volleyball.
"We're really keeping our composure, we're not thinking about the score at all—we're just thinking about the next play," says Coach Pischke.
The first set saw both teams coming away with 13 kills and a few service-aces. Bisons team captain Kevin Falconer's presence at the net helped the home team take the first set 25-21.
Mount Royal struggled to respond to constant kills at the net by Manitoba's Devren Dear and Adam Dejonckheere during the second set. The Cougars Tyler Schmidt led his team's offense, scoring impressive kills, but it wasn't enough to take the lead as the Cougars lost the second set 25-19.
The last set started out with a 5-0 run for the home team, which the Cougars were unable to overcome. The set did get closer as Mount Royal's Schmidt and Andrew McWilliam led their offense to within two points at 13-11. But DeJonckheere was a force at the net, providing eight kills for the set and leading his team to a 25-20 final set.
DeJonckheere led the game with 15 kills, while Schmidt and McWilliam both had 10 kills for the visiting Cougars. The home team had 15 blocks for the game, while the Cougars finished the game with 8.
The Bisons will play next against the University of Alberta on Nov. 20, while the Cougars' next game is also on Nov. 20 against the University of British Columbia.
