Brandon University Athletics

BRANDON – The Bobcat men's volleyball team picked up a massive five-set comeback victory over the top-ranked Trinity Western Spartans on Friday night.
 
The set scores were 15-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19 and 15-13.
 
Trinity Western came out firing in the first. The Spartans scored six straight points to grab a 6-2 lead. Another quick string of five straight points saw Trinity Western run away with the opener.
 
The seventh-ranked Bobcats rebounded in a big way to start the second set with a 10-1 run. BU tacked on a 4-0 run for good measure en route to tying the match.
 
In the third set, the two Canada West heavyweights battled back and forth. It was tied 20-20, before the Spartans scored five of the final eight points to edge out the Bobcats.
 
Brandon built up momentum throughout the fourth. A 4-0 run provided a spark for the Bobcats, before they found another gear with a 9-3 run. The Bobcats saw the Spartans fight off three straight set points, but the home side stuck to it and forced a fifth set.
 
The two sides were tied 10-10 as the fifth reached a critical point. BU won three straight points, only to see Trinity Western respond with three consecutive scores of their own. The Bobcats collected the next two points to emerge victorious in a five-set thriller.
 
Balanced offence was big for the Bobcats as they extended their Canada West winning streak to six straight. Seth Friesen, Matt Powell and Elliott Viles recorded 11 kills apiece for BU.
 
Eric Loeppky had a match-high 17 kills in a losing cause for the Spartans who fell to 4-and-1.
 
Saturday's rematch goes at 6:45 p.m. at the Healthy Living Centre.