Basketball
The women’s Bison basketball team battled the Alberta Pandas Nov. 4 in their first game of the season. The Bisons had an aggressive early game, scoring multiple three-pointers in the first quarter for a 13-point lead. The Pandas shored up their defence during the second, effectively stifling the surging Bisons. The game was up for grabs as the second half started, and the Pandas capitalized, taking the lead. The Bisons doggedly fought back and almost overtook the Pandas, but the clock ran out with the final score 81-71 for Alberta.
The following night the Bisons lost 67-44, resulting in back-to-back losses to start the season.
Hockey
The women’s hockey team hosted the Saskatchewan Huskies for two games this past weekend. On Friday, Nov. 4 they lost 3-2 in overtime, but won 4-3 on Saturday.
In their win, the Bisons played well offensively, as Maggie Litchfield-Medd scored two goals (including the game winner) and Nellie Minshull and Meagan Vestby had a goal a piece as well. On the other side of the ice, goalie Leiette Klassen stopped 25 for the win. The next women’s game is against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at Lethbridge.
The same weekend, the men’s hockey team suffered their first back-to-back losses of the season on Nov. 4 and 5 against the Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon. Losing 5-4 and then 2-1 the following day, both were tight games. The Bisons started strong on the Friday, scoring four goals in the first period. The Huskies managed to chip away at the lead and tied the game in the third period, sending the game into overtime. In OT, the Huskies scored the game-winning goal.
The Bisons lost another tight game the following day. With both teams tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, the Huskies scored early in the second period. As on the day before, the win was up for grabs for the remainder of the game, but neither team could score. This weekend the Bisons host the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
Volleyball
Last weekend, the No. 3-ranked Bison women’s volleyball team travelled to Calgary to battle the unranked Dinos. The two game series culminated in a tie. The Bisons won Friday but lost Saturday — their first loss this season.
In their first game, the Bisons lost the first set, but stormed the other three sets, winning 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-20). The Bison blockers were fantastic while the Dinos struggled with 28 total hitting errors by the end of the match.
The next day the Dinos struck back, winning 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-23). Dinos left side Sarah Moncks was solid with 14 kills and 18 digs. The Dinos blocked better than the Bisons this time around and capitalized on their opportunities.
The men’s volleyball team fared better in Calgary, winning both matches. Dane Pischke was the standout player on both nights. On Friday, he had 21 kills with a 46 per cent success rate, driving the Bisons to a strong 3-1 win (25-22, 11-25, 25-18, 25-20).
On Saturday, Dane Pischke and Dinos Allen Meek put on a show; both led their teams in kills and total attempts. Ultimately, Pischke and the Bisons would come out victorious, 3-1 (27-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-23), clinching the two-game visit for the Bisons.
The Bisons are taking on the newest Canada West volleyball team, the UBC Okanagan Heat, Nov. 11 and 12 at the U of M Investors Group Athletic Centre.
