The stakes are high this weekend as Manitoba welcomes Trinity Western to town to renew a classic rivalry.
Men’s preview
On the men’s side, the 4-6 Bisons are in eighth in Canada West, and are looking to climb up higher in playoff positioning against the 7-3 Spartans. The visitors have had the upper hand as of late, entering play undefeated against the Herd dating back to the 2015-16 season.
Service pressure has been a strength all season for the Bisons, who lead the nation with 2.36 aces per set. Karil Dadash Adeh is first in the country with 25 service aces, while Bisons teammate Jordon Heppner isn’t far behind, with 22. The last time the two sides faced off, TWU had the upper hand, with 17 aces in two games, but the Herd are looking to flip the switch in 2025.
Manitoba’s play from the back line has led to success at the net. One of the country’s best blocking teams over the last four years, their 76 total blocks are seventh in Canada West, paced by “The Rosenort Boogeyman” Jonah Dueck’s 1.08 blocks per set, second in the conference. Offensively, Dadash Adeh and captain Spencer Grahame are tied for the team lead with 90 kills.
On the other side is a consistent TWU side who’ve hit .263 as a team, fifth in Canada West. Four different players are averaging at least 2.4 points per set, led by Piers de Greeff’s 3.7. He also leads TWU with 119 kills.
Women’s preview
Entering play at 6-4, fifth in Canada West, Manitoba welcomes 5-5 TWU to IGAC, looking to replicate what they accomplished at home a year ago.
The 2023-24 season saw the Bisons sweep the Spartans for the first time in 14 years. During the Saturday rematch, Manitoba held the nation’s leading attacker Kaylee Plouffe to eight kills and a hitting percentage of .065, while Player of the Year Raya Surinx had 37 kills over two games and setter Katreena Bentley added 94 assists.
Surinx is on the brink of two major milestones entering play. She needs just one ace to reach 100 in her regular season career, and she’s just 14 kills shy of 1000 in her career.
It’s been success by committee for Manitoba so far this season. Surinx leads the nation with 4.56 kills per set, while middle Eve Catojo’s .427 hitting percentage is first in U SPORTS. Fellow middle Brenna Bedosky’s hitting .340, and her .323 career hitting percentage is top ten in Canada West history. Bentley’s also leading the nation with 10.32 assists per set.
Plouffe is once again leading the way for the TWU attack. Her .391 hitting percentage from the middle is fourth in the nation, while fellow veteran Maryn Boldon’s 129 kills are tenth in U SPORTS. The duo combined for 30 kills in the Friday opener against Manitoba a year ago,