CALGARY – The University of Manitoba Bisons clinched second place in the Canada West standings with a 3-1 win (25-21, 18-25, 25-19, 25-19) over the University of Calgary Dinos Friday in the Jack Simpson Gym.

Now 19-4, Manitoba eliminates Calgary from contention for the second seed, meaning the Dinos (17-6) will finish third in the final standings after Saturday night's season-ender.

In a well-played match between two of the top teams in the nation, the Bisons came out on top thanks to efficient hitting and 27 kills from the duo of Devren Dear and Ken Rooney.

The opening set was tight right to 18 points as the teams traded side outs and kills, but the wheels fell off for Calgary late. A service error tied it at 19-all, setting off a stretch where the Dinos handed the Bisons six of their last seven points thanks to errors, and Manitoba took the opener 25-21.

The second was all Calgary until late, with the Dinos jumping out to a 16-12 lead at the break and stretching the lead to seven to take it 25-18 as the Bisons fell victim to errors, committing seven in the set.

The final two frames were similar, with Manitoba jumping out of the gates quickly to take leads of at least four points before the score reached eight. The visitors led 16-7 and 16-8 at the two technical time outs, respectively, and finished out the win with identical 25-19 scores.

But for a blip in the second set where they picked up just nine kills against seven errors, Manitoba hit better than 33 per cent in each of the other three frames, including an impressive 43 per cent in the fourth. Calgary was a relatively efficient 23 per cent on the night, but the Dinos were susceptible to runs early in sets for the Bisons and unable to claw their way back.

Dear's 18 kills led the way for Manitoba, while Rooney was virtually unstoppable with nine kills against just a single error on 15 swings.

Three Dinos hit double digits in kills, led by Keith West with 17. Curtis Stockton and Connor Frehlich chipped in 10 apiece in a losing cause for Calgary. Calgary out-blocked the Bisons by a wide 10-4 margin on the night, while Manitoba held the edge in service aces (6-4) and digs (34-33).

The Dinos and Bisons will face off in one final postseason tune-up Saturday night in the Jack Simpson Gym, with first serve set for 5:30 p.m. MT. Prior to the match, the Dinos will recognize their four graduating seniors: Ivan Kartev, Brendan Visser, Connor Frehlich, and Jackson Maris.

-UC-