BRANDON, MB - The Manitoba Bisons came roaring into Brandon University's Healthy Living Centre Friday night, earning a 3-2 (25-20, 25-18, 25-27, 23-25, 17-15) win that could have gone either way.

The #3 Bisons jumped to an early, commanding lead. Just as soon as the match seemed all but over, the Brandon Bobcats picked up a couple of key points late in the third and came away with a scrappy 27-25 set score. The fourth wasn't much different as the Bobcats took it by two points. The fifth went to extras, where the Bisons snuck out a hard-fought 17-15 victory to take the match.

"Manitoba has always been an elite program. We've always tried to meet or exceed what they do when we play them, and it always seems to bring out the best in both teams. That's exactly what we saw here tonight between these two teams," says Grant Wilson, Bobcats head coach.

Dane Pischke had a team-high 20 kills for Manitoba, to go along with eight digs. Derek Nieroda was also impressive, picking up 23 digs for the Bisons. Chris Komishon finished with a match-high 43 assists.

Sam Tuivai had a night to remember. Not only did the Auckland, New Zealand product help the Bobcats come within two points of an impressive come back, he finished with 23 kills.

The two teams will meet again Saturday night in Brandon. First serve is scheduled for 6:45 pm.