WINNIPEG – The University of Calgary Dinos men's volleyball team were dealt their first defeat of the season, falling 3-0 (18-25, 14-25, 20-25) to the Manitoba Bisons on Thursday evening.

The Bisons picked up their first victory of the season, improving to 1-4 on the campaign, while the Dinos slipped to 2-1 coming off a bye week.

Six different Bisons recorded at least one block in the match, led by middle Jonah Dueck with five assisted and one solo, and outside hitter Karil Dadash Adeh with four assisted and one solo. Calgary was led by Cole Czepuryk and Will Kay, who each tallied seven kills in the loss.

Serve-receive played a major factor throughout the match, as the Bisons forced Calgary out of system and were able to read the Dinos' attack effectively. The visitors often attacked from the outside, but Manitoba's consistent pressure from the service line allowed them to set up defensively and make key plays at the net.

A Dueck solo block sealed the opening frame, while Dadash Adeh and Dueck combined for a block on the right side early in the third to help give Manitoba a 6-1 lead.

Dadash Adeh added two aces, both in the third, while setter Alex Witt — who also finished with 25 assists — chipped in a solo block.

Hitting efficiency was also a major storyline. Calgary's best set came in the third, when they hit .125, while Manitoba hit .474 and .429 in the first and second sets, respectively.

Luke Nodwell and Erik Goodwin stepped up in the third for Calgary, combining for five kills, with Goodwin also doing a solid job passing on serve-receive from the back row. But Manitoba shut down any comeback attempt with sustained pressure from the line and fittingly closed the match on a block.

Both teams will meet again on Friday at 7:45 p.m.