Thanks to the inclusion of soccer in the 2013 Duckworth Challenge, the University of Manitoba clinched the 23rd annual sporting challenge over the University of Winnipeg Wesmen.
The volleyball portion of the challenge was played at the Duckworth Centre in downtown Winnipeg on Oct. 24. The Bison women won 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-19), while the men won 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-22).
In the women’s game, Taylor Pischke led all players with 13 kills as the Bisons dominated the Wesmen in straight sets. After a tight first set, the Bisons took full control of the match.
Staunch blocking by Manitoba stifled any hope of a Winnipeg comeback, but some sloppy play as the game went on let the Wesmen creep back in the third set. With the Bisons sitting on match point, Winnipeg rallied to within six points, but the Bisons soon put the match away.
The Wesmen men, looking to even the score, were strong coming into the game. They won the first set, but could not overcome the Bisons for the match victory. After trailing through most of the first set, the Bisons attempted to rally for the set point. A pair of errant serves proved costly, however, as Manitoba dropped the first set 25-22.
The Bisons bounced back in the second set, as they capitalized on 11 Winnipeg attack errors. Manitoba clinched the second set 25-18, setting up an intense showdown in the third.
The two teams went shot for shot in the third as the lead changed four times. Devren Dear had four of his game-high 17 kills in the set as the Bisons won 26-24. Manitoba put the match away in the fourth, winning 25-22.
The volleyball victories, combined with the Bisons’ 2-0 soccer victory over the Wesmen in September, mean the Bisons have won the Duckworth Challenge ahead of the basketball games still scheduled to be played on Feb. 13, 2014.
The teams played a second game on Friday (men’s) and Saturday (women’s). The Bison men dropped their home opener 3-2 (22-25, 19-25, 31-29, 25-22, 15-10) after the Wesmen won an extended third set and battled back for the match victory. The following day, the Bison women continued their domination of the Wesmen winning the rematch 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 27-25).
Bison volleyball hits the road for a series of matches against UBC in Vancouver on Nov. 1 and 2.
