Sour note
A terrific season ends in disappointment
RYAN PIKE THE GAUNTLET (UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY)
PHOTO BY GEOFF MACINTOSH, THE GAUNTLET
CALGARY — (Special to the Manitoban) At the end of the regular season, the University of Manitoba Bisons seemed ready to make a run at their first national championship since 2002. Coach Ken Bentley’s team was ranked first in the nation, standing atop Canada West with a formidable 18-2 record.
Unfortunately for the Bisons, the two losses came against teams that would eventually derail their championship dreams.
After besting the University of Calgary Dinos in a tense 3-2 affair, the Bisons suffered a 3-1 loss to the University of Alberta Pandas — the team that handed the Bisons their first loss of the season on Jan. 5. Despite the setback, the Bisons entered the CIS National Championships as the third seed, paired up against the same Trinity Western University Spartans that had handed them their second loss on Jan. 13. The Spartans were poised to hand them another.
The Bisons began the match on a flat note, losing the first set 25-18. They powered back and dominated the second set, winning 25-17. The two teams went back and forth during a hotly contested third set until, with the score tied 8-8, the Spartans went on a 12-3 run that led to a 25-15 win. The Bisons wouldn’t lie down, and battled back to take the fourth set 25-20. However, several Bisons errors combined with solid play from the Spartans led to Trinity Western taking the deciding fifth set 15-9, and advancing to the semi-finals.
“It was a tough one,” said coach Ken Bentley. “We didn’t pass the ball very well and couldn’t run our offense.”
The loss relegated the Bisons to a consolation-round matchup with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Gee-Gees, fresh off a loss to defending champion University of Laval Rouge et Or, were appearing in their first nationals since 1987 and had even won a set against the powerhouse Laval team.
The Bisons charged and took the first set 25-17, but the Gee-Gees battled back in the second set, taking a hard-fought 26-24 victory to tie it up. The Bisons struck right back at the Gee-Gees, taking the third set 25-17 and poising themselves for a victory. However, Ottawa would not go down quietly. The Gee-Gees battled back from a 8-5 deficit with an impressive 11-6 run to take a 16-14 lead, and kept the Bisons at bay long enough to secure a 25-21 set victory. The Bisons built up a 12-9 lead in the fifth and final set, but the Gee-Gees erupted for six straight points to secure the win.
The win was the first at nationals for Ottawa since 1987, and ended an excellent Manitoba season on a disappointing note. Despite the losing weekend, the Bisons look poised to build upon their successes and learn from their setbacks. Rookie Sarah Morrissette was named Bisons Player of the Game in both contests, while newly-crowned CIS Rookie of the Year Ashley Voth made her presence felt throughout the weekend. Stocked with a wealth of young players and with CIS Coach of the Year Ken Bentley behind the bench, the Bisons could perhaps be starting another 16-year string of national championship appearances.
