Abbotsford, BC – The UFV Cascades and Manitoba Bisons battled to a marathon first set, but in the end it was the Bisons that would claim all three sets (31-29, 25-20, 25-21) to take the first match of the weekend. 

The result sees Manitoba improve to 14-5 on the season, while UFV drops to 9-10.

How it Happened:
The teams dueled it out in the first set, with Manitoba's Raya Surinx knocking down a team-high seven kills in the first set and UFV's Mandi Feist answering with eight of her own. As the teams went blow-for-blow they would find themselves tied, first at 24, and multiple times up to 29. Unfortunately for the Cascades, It was Surinx for the Bisons that would find the decisive blow with two of her kills coming in the final two points of the set to end it 31-29.

The teams would continue firing, but with UFV leading 17-16 in the second, three straight errors would start a 6-1 Bisons run. After the teams traded serve for the remainder of the set, an Eve Catojo kill finished off the frame.

It was a similar story in the third, as the Cascades grabbed a 10-9 lead, before a 6-1 run flipped the momentum for the Bisons. UFV would battle back, and a kill from Bianca Pura would pull them back with one at 18-17. However, that would be as close as the Cascades would come and a five-point Bisons run would put them on match point before an Aviendah Plett block finished off the match.

Notable:
UFV posted more kills than the Bisons in both the first and third sets (18-15, and 13-12), but Manitoba ended with fewer errors in all three sets.

Surinx led the match with 18 kills for the Bisons, while Andi Almonte chipped in eight. 

Mandi Feist finished with 12 kills and two aces for UFV, while Lauren Attieh had nine kills and 10 digs. Rookie Bianca Pura finished with three kills, her first in Canada West, and one error.

UFV is now guaranteed to finish in either seventh or eighth and will host a series during the Canada West play-in round next week.

Up next:
The Cascades will close out their regular season on Saturday at the UFV Athletic Centre in the rematch with the Bisons. Saturday's match will also include a ceremony celebrating a number of graduating senior players from UFV.

To keep up with all the action follow the Cascades on social media at @ufvcascades

About UFV
Located in the beautiful Fraser Valley just east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is a fully accredited, public university that enrolls approximately 15,000 students per year. UFV has campuses and locations in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope, and a growing presence in Chandigarh, India.