Written by: Rhawney Zubko , Huskie Athletics Sports Information assistant

SASKATOON - The University of Manitoba Bisons added another win in a tight race to finish first in the Canada West by defeating the tenth-place University of Saskatchewan Huskies in four sets, 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-23) Friday night.

The Huskies looked to be contenders in the first set of the match. The team added rookie Haley Manson (Watrous, SK) to the starting lineup. The Huskies came out strong and had a good start as they pulled ahead by four and kept the lead. They then quickly doubled Manitoba’s score at eight. The Bisons pulled back ahead at 15 points. However the Huskies dug in deep and pulled back ahead to win 25-21. This was their first win in any set since a three-straight match victory over Thompson Rivers on November 3, 2007.

In the second set, Manitoba took the momentum away from the Huskies and landed on an early lead. However the Huskies climbed back to within one point at the 8-7. Manitoba head coach Ken Bentley took a timeout at this point to regroup the Bisons. It seemed to work. Manitoba wasted no time in building a gap in the score. They went on to defeat the Dogs 25-18.

In the third set, the players went point-for-point until Manitoba built a small lead at 14-11. The Huskies pushed and gained themselves a small comeback but the Bisons pushed back and won 25-21.

In the fourth set the teams battle over points again, however they were plagued with service errors and struggled to hang onto the ball. The lead traded hands numerous times but the score remained close and the teams were tied at 21 apiece. A string of Huskie errors in the last few points practically handed over the win to the powerful Bison team and they capitalized 25-23.

Fifth-year Bison Amy Matthews (Winnipeg,MB) put out an impressive 22 kills in the match and Huskie Shannon Usher (Moose Jaw, SK) led her team with 11 kills.

Manitoba’s standings remain on the top in first place with a 16-1 record, while Saskatchewan drops to 3-14.

The two teams will face each other again on Saturday night.