Setting it up for a win

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This article was published 29/02/2016 (3749 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Manitoba Bisons men’s volleyball team has won half the battle — they’re in playoffs. But the team isn’t resting on its laurels, and especially not setter Luke Herr.

Herr was named a Bisons athlete of the week for a focused and successful season.

“We finished second in Canada West which is really big, a lot better than last year,” the 21-year-old kinesiology major said. “We’re all third, fourth-year guys in the lineup, so we’ve all been through this before, so we’re ready to go.”

Last year, the team finished fourth in Canada West and lost two games in a row to the UBC Thunderbirds in the playoffs. This year, the Bisons are prepping for a tight match against the MRU Cougars, who finished first in Canada West and only lost one game this season.

“They’re definitely the big team,” Herr said. “And Calgary is right behind us.”

Herr and most of his teammates have been playing together since high school and club volleyball at 204 Volleyball Club.

“We’re kind of a close group,” he said. Before the Bisons, Herr played on the John Taylor Collegiate Pipers.

“They have a sport academy there for phys-ed, which was really nice,” he said. “We played volleyball all day and then practised so it really helped prepare me for university.”

To prepare for playoffs, the team continued to work on what they do best — a dynamic mix of aggressive offence and impenetrable defence. However they know that Mount Royal is bringing something similar to the table.

“They just have a good offence, really fast offence, all the hitters can put the ball in,” Herr said. “They have a really dynamic team. They’re just good.”

He added that once they get the ball on their side of the net, they’re “unstoppable,” so the team is working on passing and blocking to match well with the Alberta team.

“I’ve got one more year after this,” Herr said of his eligibility. “The plan is to continue, hopefully go play professionally or team up with the national team and play there.”

Manitoba volleyball playoffs began on Feb. 25. The results were not available at press time.