The Bisons men’s volleyball team advanced to the 2026 National Championship semifinals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Université Laval Rouge et Or on Friday, March 13. The Bisons won the match in straight sets, 25-20, 25-16 and 25-17.
In the first set, the Bisons struck first, but the Rouge et Or immediately responded. At 2-2, the Bisons scored three consecutive points to take a 5-2 lead. The Rouge et Or responded with five consecutive points to take a 5-7 lead. After both teams traded points for a while, the Bisons took a confident lead of 19-14 after scoring five consecutive points. The gap was too much for the Rouge et Or to close, and the Bisons won 25-20.
In the second set, the Rouge et Or struck first, but the Bisons quickly responded. Both teams did not allow the other to gain a significant advantage until the Bisons scored seven consecutive points to take a 21-11 lead. The Rouge et Or was only able to score five more points before the Bisons called it a wrap with a score of 25-16.
The start of the third set was no different from the second set. The Rouge et Or struck first, and the Bisons responded, with both teams trading points. The Bisons first gained a significant advantage after scoring four consecutive points to take a 7-4 lead, and a comfortable 18-10 lead after scoring five points. Despite the Rouge et Or’s attempts to tally the points, the Bisons won the set after also winning the last three consecutive points, 25-17. This win led them into the semifinals.
On Saturday, March 14, the Bisons men’s volleyball team suffered a 1-3 defeat to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the semifinals.
In the first set, the Bisons scored the first point, and Jordon Heppner helped the Bisons win the second point with an ace. The Thunderbirds won their first point from a service error by Heppner. The Bisons held on and increased their lead at every given opportunity, winning the set 25-15.
The Thunderbirds came strong into the second set, winning the first three points. The Bisons did not get close, and at 10-19, the Thunderbirds scored six consecutive points to win 10-25.
The Bisons came determined to the third set, winning the first point. However, they lost their 4-2 lead after the Thunderbirds scored four consecutive points to take a 4-6 lead. The Bisons bounced back to take a 16-14 lead and maintained it until 21-19, after which the Thunderbirds scored four consecutive points to take a 21-23 lead. Despite the Bisons’ effort to tie, the Thunderbirds won 22-25.
The Bisons were nine points away when the Thunderbirds won the set. The Thunderbirds struck first again in the fourth set, but the Bisons immediately responded. The teams traded points until the Thunderbirds scored seven consecutive points to take a 4-10 lead.
On Sunday, March 15, the Bisons played against the University of Windsor Lancers and won 3-0 (25-23,25-16 and 25-23) to claim the bronze medal at the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship.
