Courtesy of Manitoba Bisons Sports Information

Winnipeg, MB – The Manitoba Bison women's volleyball team and the visiting Mount Royal Cougars played a tough match on Nov. 7 at Investors Group Athletic Centre. While the Bisons fought to make a game out of it, the Cougars won in four sets (25-14, 25-12, 20-25, 25-14). 

The Cougars were consistently finding holes in the Bisons' blocking, with Alex Donaghy and Taylor Pelland leading the game with 15 kills each. Blocking for both teams made the difference, with the visiting team getting 20 blocks while the home team only managed 6.

"Our level of fight just isn't close to what it needs to be," said Bisons Head Coach Ken Bentley. "We just didn't match their intensity level."

Mount Royal came out strong in the first set, taking an early 10-point lead over the home team that proved insurmountable. Led by Donaghy who racked up seven kills for the set, the Cougars coasted to a 25-14 win.

They kept building on their momentum in the second set, while the home team continued to struggle with blocking at the net.  Kylie Willis and Chantel Park joined Donaghy to carry the Cougars to a 25-12 win for the set.

The home team refused to go down easy and came out strong with a 4-0 run to start the third set. While the Cougars' offense was still intense, the home team managed to keep their lead throughout the set. The Bisons' Tori Studler scored 9 kills to help her team hold the lead and take the set 25-20.

The fourth and last set was much like the first two, with the Cougars taking an early lead while the Bisons spent the set trying to close the gap. It was close until halfway through the set when the Cougars started to pull away, led again by Donaghy. They ended the game the same way they started, with a 25-14 win to take the match.

Studler led the Bisons with 11 kills, while Donaghy and Pelland tied for the lead with 15. The Cougars' Nicky Zalasky led the blocking with 3 blocks and 6 block assists.

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.