It took extra points to decide, as the University of the Fraser Valley men's volleyball team dropped an epic five-set match (25-19, 20-25, 21-25, 25-16, 21-19) to the host Winnipeg Wesmen on Saturday night. 
 
The loss drops UFV to 2-6 on the season, while Winnipeg evens its record at 4-4.
 
"Much better match than the night before, just had challenges with sustained pressure where Winnipeg had sustained pressure all evening," said UFV head coach Nathan Bennett. "Eventually that is what made the difference in the match."
 
Third-year international student Nimo Benne led the Cascades with 19 kills, one ahead of teammate Caleb Kastelein. Ryan Adams led the Cascades with 11 digs.
 
The Wesmen were led by Nigel Nielsen's 19 kills, and Darian Picklyk was the top defender for Winnipeg, notching 13 digs in the win. 
 
The serving line was not kind to the Cascades who committed 29 service errors in the tight match, while the Wesmen committed 18 in the victory. The other lopsided stat line was in blocks where UFV doubled up on the Wesmen 14-7 over the five sets.
 
Off to a slow start, the Cascades trailed by four points for most of the first set, clawing it back to just a one point game at 17-16. After the teams traded points over the next number of rallies, a tape roll serve dropped into the middle of a groups Cascades, giving the Wesmen a lead at 23-20. The Cascades got it to 23-21, before a costly service error gave the Wesmen back a three-point advantage. It was a lead they would not relinquish eventually taking the set 25-22.
 
Adams was the difference with some huge blocks to start the second set, sparking the Cascades to a 5-2 early advantage. The Cascades held the lead before giving it up for just a moment at 15-14, before a quick turnaround had the match in UFV's favour at 19-16 when the Wesmen took a timeout. The team traded points before the Cascades extended the lead to five through some solid defence and strong serving, eventually taking the second frame 25-20.
 
The third set mirrored the first one with the Cascades trailing early. But a Benne ace tied the score at five and a Kastelein kill gave the Cascades a 6-5 lead they never gave up, eventually prevailing 25-21.
 
Set four was all Wesmen. Despite a tie at 8-8, the Cascades committed a number of service errors to open the door for Winnipeg as they cruised to a 16-25 score forcing a fifth and deciding frame.
 
The fifth set was a see-saw affair with the Wesmen taking the early lead only to have the Cascades claw back to tie it at 5-5. Leading 8-7 at the break, UFV setter Jonas Van Huizen had a critical ace to make the score 9-7. UFV battled back from down 14-12, eventually taking a 15-14 lead, but were unable to secure the match point. Sides out took the game to 20-19, before a Winnipeg block sealed the victory at 21-19.
 
"We are looking forward to resetting," said Bennett. "Getting a week's worth of training, and getting ready to host Mount Royal."
 
The Cascades men will take on the 4-1 Cougars on Friday evening beginning at 6 p.m. PST. The weekend marks the annual "Stuff a Cruiser" toy drive in support of Abbotsford Regional Hospital.