The Bison’s women’s volleyball team competed against the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades in the CanWest semi-finals this past week.

The U of M crushed the first game of the best-of-three semi-final series against UFV.

Julia Arnold, the herd’s libero, was on fire during the game, setting a CanWest playoff dig record with 24 digs, helping the team beat Fraser Valley for the first time in two years.

The first set started off rocky for U of M, as the Cascades lead 13-12 out of the gate.

The herd rallied by calling a timeout, which led to a Cascade service error.

The Bisons managed to come back from this tough start, capturing the first set 25-19.

In the second set, the Cascades took an early 4-0 lead, as the U of M struggled to defend against Fraser Valley’s unstoppable hitters.

Light Uchechukwu really pulled through, however, as she found her mojo alongside Katreena Bentley, allowing the Bisons to pull ahead of the Cascades.

In the second set, the U of M escaped with a 25-23 win over UFV.

The third set started with the Cascades attempting to make a comeback, but those plans were quickly dashed by Arnold, Bentley and Ella Gray who all made great digs to keep rallies going.

Consequently, the third set finished with the Bisons edging Fraser Valley 25-16 and sweeping the Cascades in three sets to win the game.

The second game was evenly matched in the first set, as both teams were grinding out the offensive and defensive side of play.

Eve Catojo took the initiative in the first set, accumulating three out of her eight blocks in the game.

Ultimately, the University of Manitoba closed out the first set 25-21, leading Fraser Valley 1-0.

The Bisons then took the reins in the second set but were met with a pushback from the Cascades, who won the set 25-21.

The herd really struggled in the third set, making it possible for Fraser Valley to pull ahead.

The Cascades were on a roll, scoring ten points in a row as Lauren Attieh’s presence at the service line proved indispensable.

Fraser Valley had 13 aces compared to the U of M’s five.

The herd ended the third set, losing badly to UFV 25-14.

In the fourth set, Arnold performed multiple one-handed digs, setting a tenacious mindset for the rest of the set.

As the fourth closed out, the U of M pushed the match to five sets, as they stole the set 25-19.

In the fifth, the herd had all the momentum and was fueled by its stellar defence.

The Bisons backed the Cascades into a corner in the fifth.

Ultimately, the U of M ended the fifth set by winning against Fraser Valley 15-7, thus booking its tickets to the CanWest finals for the first time in ten years.

In the CanWest finals, the University of Manitoba will compete against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on
March 9.