The Bisons men’s volleyball team secured two thrilling wins over the UBC Okanagan Heat in back-to-back matches at the Investors Group Athletic Centre. On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Bisons achieved a 3-2 victory, winning 25-23, 25-21 and 15-12 and on Friday, Feb. 21, they dominated the court again, winning 3-1 with all identical set scores of 25-19.
The Thursday match began with the Bisons sweeping the first three points. However, the Heat staged a remarkable comeback, winning three consecutive points to tie the score 15-15. The set remained intense, with both teams trading points until the Heat emerged victorious with a 25-23 set score.
Undeterred, the Bisons bounced back in the second set, scoring three consecutive points to take the lead. They maintained their momentum, winning the set 25-23.
The third set saw the Bisons replicate their strong start, winning the first four points. They continued to dominate, increasing their lead to 7-2, which prompted the Heat to call a timeout. The Bisons came back to extend their lead and the Heat could not close the gap. This ultimately led to the Bisons winning the set 25-21. Both teams started the fourth set trading points until the Heat scored four consecutive points from 17-16 to make it 21-16. The gap became too much for the Bisons to overcome, therefore, the Heat won the set 25-20.
The fifth set was also a close one with both teams trading points. The Bisons’ impressive performance continued, securing crucial points to win the fifth set 15-12. The team’s overall statistics showcased their teamwork with 66 kills, 142 total attempts and 21 errors.
The Bisons men’s volleyball head coach Arnd Ludwig assessed his team after the game.
“I wanted to put [Alex Witt] in earlier, but then Karil got stuck a little bit, so Karil wasn’t playing well in that set, so I put Eric in only for Karil in that moment because I still wanted to have three front row hitters. So that’s why I did it. And then in the fifth set, after we were down 6-3, Karil just struggled […] Alex came in, did well, and then I just left them in.”
He also commented on Weekes’ performance. “He was really good. He was a number one recruit for us last year and he showed it this game […] he had, I think, maybe one or two errors, but that’s impressive and everything else, this whole game, is really on a very good level.”
Weekes shared some moments of the game indicating that they have the chance to go far.
“We’ve got to flush it and go back tomorrow. But I think seeing that we’re able to deal with ups and downs like that is huge. I think we’ve got a chance to go far with it,” he said.
In the second game on Friday, Feb. 21, the Bisons were on fire, despite the Heat winning the first set 25-22. The Bisons regrouped and won the remaining three sets with identical scores of 25-19, refusing to go into a tiebreaker. The team’s performance was reflected in their statistics, with 48 kills, 117 total attempts and 18 errors.
Serving played a crucial role in determining the outcome of the volleyball match. The Bisons have proven themselves to be the nation’s best serving team, with 11 aces.
The Bisons men’s volleyball team will face the Winnipeg Wesmen in the quarter-finals on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. CST and Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. CST at the Duckworth Centre.
