Bisons, Wesmen draw first blood in volleyball play-ins

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This article was published 20/02/2025 (565 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Bisons played to their strengths when they needed it most.

On a night the top serving team in the nation didn’t have their best stuff from the line, a pair of aces from Jordon Heppner and another from Owen Weeks in the deciding set earned the eighth-seed Bisons a thrilling 3-2 (23-25; 25-23; 25-21; 20-25; 15-12) victory over the ninth seed University of British Columbia Okanagan in Canada West men’s playoff volleyball action at Investors Group Athletic Centre on Thursday.

The Bisons lead the best-of-three play-in series 1-0. Game 2 goes Friday at 7:30 p.m. back at IGAC. Game 3, if necessary, will go Saturday at 4 p.m.

“Well, it was a little surprising, to be honest, because when you look at the first set, we have two aces and we have four errors, and all four errors came after 20 (points)… and that’s why we lose that first set. Our serving game was okay, but it was not as good as it usually is and, to be honest, they played a really good passing (match),” said Bisons head coach Lupo Ludwig, whose team had 10 aces and 20 serving errors.

“We did a really good job, and we didn’t make any errors in the wrong moments after the first set.”

Weekes, a first-year outside hitter who made a switch from right side to left side this season, spurred the offence for the hosts with a career and game-high 22 kills. The Vincent Massey graduate’s previous career high was 15 kills, coincidentally against the Heat in January.

Karil Dadash Adeh provided 17 kills and captain Spencer Grahame added another 16 for the hosts.

“It’s playoffs. Everything’s new,” said Weekes. “It’s a new slate, so just coming in with the opportunity, just grateful to be here. It’s sick, being able to be in the game and playing, it’s fun. So, yeah, just new opportunity and doing the best of it with the right intention every point.”

Seba Manuel led the Heat with 18 kills. Lucas Woelders and Ashton South added 13 and 11, respectively.

“He was really, really good,” Ludwig said of Weekes. “He was our No. 1 recruit for us last year and he showed it this game. He showed it actually since he’s started and it’s not only this, I think also what I’m really more impressed with is his passing, because he hasn’t passed in his club career but here it’s going on. He has I think maybe one or two errors, but that’s impressive, and everything else this whole game really on a very good level.”

It was a rotten beginning to a return home for UBCO first-year head coach Scott Koskie.

Koskie, who won national player of the year honours and two national titles with the Bisons, spent nine years as Volleyball Manitoba’s provincial performance coach before accepting his first head-coaching position out west.

“This is a special place, right? I played here with the university and then I played here with the national team, and I coached here with the national team,” Koskie said. “A lot of volleyball history in the building.

“Yeah, it was a little bit emotional, driving back… and all the people that in the community here that support the game… so it’s always great to come back to a community that appreciates volleyball.”

Koskie has turned the Heat program around in his first year at the helm, taking a three-win team from a year ago and guiding it to a nine-win season and play-in berth. A play-in series win in his hometown would be another feather in his cap.

“It’s been good,” he said. “It’s been really, really special and nice that it worked out this way.”

Wesmen outlast Dinos

Across the city, the seventh-seed Winnipeg Wesmen held off the 10th-seed Calgary Dinos 3-2 (23-25; 25-18; 25-17; 22-25; 15-13) to earn a 1-0 series lead in the women’s volleyball play-in at the Duckworth Centre.

A back-and-forth match was headlined by fifth-year left-side Selva Planincic, who led the Winnipeg offence with 23 kills and three service aces. Brooke Duncalfe added 16 kills, while Ella Werbiski and Emily Lavallee provided eight a piece.

Sophia Hansen led the Dinos with 18 kills.

Game 2 goes Friday at 7:30 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, takes place Saturday at 5 p.m.

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca