Bobcats Volleyball

The men’s team made it into the playoffs after a solid 18-8 record from their regular season. The men played in three tournaments throughout their regular season and a total of 38 games before this past weekend. They played games throughout Western Canada, from Winnipeg to Vancouver and took a great ratio of wins to losses.

This past weekend marked the start of the Bobcats post-season games. The men would play a total of three games during the weekend against the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. The Wesmen would bring their ‘A’ game and fight to the bitter end with the Bobcats. At the end of the weekend the Bobcats would meet their match and lose the final game on Sunday.

The Bobcats would win the sets in a clean sweep on Friday 3-0 but ended up losing both Saturday and Sunday in heartbreaking matches. Saturday the Wesmen came back from two sets to zero and won the next 3 sets. Sunday Brandon University lost the final matches 1-3 when the University of Winnipeg took the first two sets and then the fourth.

Friday night the Bobcats dominated the court and took the Wesmen to town in each set. Despite being outscored in kills, assists and digs, the Bobcats were able to win each set between 20-25 and 23-25 points. The men were lead on Friday by Elliot Viles and Reece Dixon.

Saturday night the Bobcats were off to an early lead and strong continuation of the night before. The first set went well for the men as they won 25-15 along with the second set 23-25. It was here that the Wesmen made a strong comeback and a powerful push for the victory. The Wesmen won the next three sets and pushed the series to its third and final night to end the tie breaker. Top players for the Bobcats included Seth Friesen, Mason Metcalf, Reece Dixon and Brady Nault.

Sunday night the Bobcats were unable to keep up with the Wesmen as they took losses in the first two sets. The Bobcats took the third set but they could not quite pull off the same results of the underdogs the previous night. The men would lose the last set 21-25, stopping their playoff run dead in its tracks. The Bobcats top players of Sunday were Seth Friesen, Reece Dixon, James Weir and Elliot Viles.

The men finish their season on a high note, making it into the playoffs and fighting to the last set and game. The Bobcats ended up winning 29 out of their 41 games, an impressive accomplishment for the athletes! To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. See you next season Bobcats!

Bobcats Futsal

The Bobcats soccer teams have been making moves over the break in the Futsal MCAC league. Both men and women have played 8 games for their season so far and the matches over the break were of the more successful accomplishments. The games took place on the 17th of February and the Futsal teams battled with opponents across the province.

The women’s first game on the Saturday took place in Brandon against St. Boniface. The game resulted in a 2-0 win for the women, this is compared to their loss back at the beginning of the season 2-4 to the “Les Rouges.” The second game that the women took place against Red River. Here the Bobcats took a tie, scoring 2-2 and adding their third tie of the season.

The men’s team had great success that weekend as they took two victories. Facing St. Boniface the men had a close game but ended up pulling ahead of “Les Rouges” 5-4. The men’s win against St. Boniface is an impressive turn around compared to their past 4-6 loss. The last game of the weekend against the Rebels saw the Bobcats take the win 6-4.

The Bobcat women’s record goes to 2-3-3, taking their 11th, and the men’s record goes to 6-1-1. To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. The next Futsal game takes place on the 3rd of March against Providence and CMU.

ACC Cougars

This past weekend was pretty tame for the Cougars but rather impressive for their volleyball program. The women’s volleyball team made it into the MCAC final four and faced off with the Providence University College Pilots on Saturday.

The women had a tough season but fought hard for their position in the MCAC league. They were able to beat Les Rouges, St. Boniface, out of a playoff spot and had a total record of 5 wins and 11 losses. This is despite their significantly smaller amount of total assists and kills. The Cougars worked hard this past weekend but the women would be unable to win a single set.

         The game took place at Red River College at 6:00pm where the Cougars would meet their match. The PUC Pilots were ranked first in the MCAC standing while the ACC Cougars were ranked fourth. They lost three straight sets to the Pilots, 18-25, 18-25, and 19-25. Skyla Vanmackelberg led the Cougars with 8 kills and Erica Scott followed with 7 kills, while Brittany Bachmier led the team with 13 digs, Erica Scott and Kalin Winter had 10 digs each.

The final game of the MCAC final four was played on Sunday where the PUC Pilots faced the CMU Blazers. The women’s volleyball championship was claimed by the Pilots in the fourth set of the match.

         The volleyball season concludes for the Cougars but their futsal season continues! The Futsal teams next games take place on March 3rd against CMU Blazers and PUC Pilots. Best of luck Cougars!

New Services At HLC

It is the dawn of a new year, and the HLC is adding more services to their repertoire to keep the Brandon University and wider Brandon community healthy in 2018. 

A new fitness program titled the “50+ Club” that runs Monday mornings at 10am began in January. The program is led by HLC personal trainer Jamee George and entails an hour of physical activity intended to provide maximum results and a fun atmosphere. Participants will receive programs that document their fitness routines throughout the week. 

The “Rise and Run” program takes off in February, Monday mornings at 6am. Rise and Run Mondays will take place February 5 to April 6 from 6 to 7am on the HLC track. Also run by Jamee George, the program promises a fun work-out intended for cardiovascular improvement using light weights and body weight exercises. Those interested can register online, at the Customer Service Desk in the HLC, or at (204) 727 – 9756. 

The HLC Sports Medicine Clinic has become home for a Dynamic Physiotherapy clinic, as an expansion of their Richmond avenue location. The Healthy Living Centre is known for its Bobcats events, fitness centre, and all-weather walking track; BU’s Director of Athletics and Community Engagement Russ Paddock says “Fitness and healthy living are also about enjoying a full range of functional motion and restoring any impairment, which makes Dynamic Physiotherapy a perfect partner for Brandon University”. The clinic offers a full range of services including sprains, strains, degenerative conditions, whiplash disorders, tendinitis, neck and back pain, post-surgical rehabilitation, post-fracture rehabilitation, custom exercise programs, and vestibular disorders. “For university students, there are a lot of posture-related strains from stress, from studying, or even from sitting in classes. It is also common to see a lot of repetitive strain problems with musicians related to the number of hours they practice” said Paddock. 

Similar to the HLC, the clinic is open to all members of the public. Dynamic clinic’s Darryl Ross says “As we have made regular visits to the Healthy Living Centre over the last few months it is great to not only see university athletics programs using the facility, but many local citizens using the fitness facility, the walking track, playing pickleball and more. It is obvious that there is a commitment to live up to the facility’s name and these are ideals that we at Dynamic share. Because of this, we feel like it is a great fit for us, and we believe that the quality rehab services we are known for will be an asset to the centre”.

Bobcats Volleyball

T

his past weekend the Women’s and Men’s Volleyball teams took to the courts and swept away their competition in a duel set of wins against the MacEwan University’s Griffons. Hopefully the Griffon’s appreciated the cold weather on their burns. 

The Woman’s Bobcat Volleyball team racked in two wins this past weekend. On Friday February 2nd they faced off against MacEwan University in a critical game to earn a spot in the Canada West playoff picture. They played here in Brandon, bringing in a final score of 3-2. The game was close with the scores from the five sets being 25-20, 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, and 15-9, but the Bobcats were able to maintain their edge and bring in the win! 

Their weekend continued strong as the woman’s took on MacEwan again on Saturday February 3rd, absolutely dominating with a score of 1-3. Bobcat’s started off strong with a set of 16-25, with MacEwan coming back in the second set with 25-21, however the Bobcat’s quickly gained back the lead by winning the next two sets at 17-25 and 22-25.

The Men’s Bobcat Volleyball team didn’t give an inch on their Friday or Saturday games, sweeping the MacEwan University’s Griffons with a final score of 0-3 in both games. The Friday set scores were 25-15, 25-15, and 25-22. Elliot Viles scored 10 kills making him BU’s top scorer, with Seth Friesen and Matt Powell contributing with 9 and 8 kills respectively. The game on Saturday was no less impressive, with set scores finishing at 18-25, 13-25, and with a close end of 21-25. 

The next games take place on February 9th playing against the Mount Royal University’s Cougars. Both games will be located here in Brandon at the Healthy Living Centre with the woman’s game taking place at noon and the men’s at 1:45PM.

Bobcats Basketball

Final games of the regular season were played for the Bobcats out in Kamloops BC this past weekend, as our athletes went on to face Thompson Rivers University. It was a mixed bag of wins and losses for both the men and the women as they traded blows with the Wolfpack. All in all a solid way to finish off a rocky season for the women and a good start for the men as they continue towards play-offs. 

On Friday night the women’s team would only lose by seven points, keeping the game close during the second half, scoring 27 points in that third quarter. The Bobcats lost 73-80, adding their seventeenth loss of the season, desperately putting them out of range of play-offs.

However the loss the previous night didn’t completely rebuff their hopes as their opponents let down their guard. Saturday the women won their final game 81-73, scoring 42 points in the paint compared to the Wolf-pack’s 14.

Top scorers of the weekend include Lauren Anderson with 36 points, Keisha Cox with 32 points and Keegan Robinson with 20 points.

The men’s Friday night was far from perfect as they ended up losing 81-104. The 23 point difference was impossible for the men to make up, in fact they were unable to outscore the Wolfpack in any quarter. The Bobcats would make 30 points in the paint compared the Thompson Rivers 34.

Saturday night the men came prepared to battle and did not let the previous night influence their last match. The men’s defence was on point as they were able to make turnovers and get the rebounds. It showed in the final score as the Bobcats won 66-57.

The men’s top scorers of the weekend include Jonathan Range with 51 points, Tyvon Cooper with 36 points and Jaleel Webb with 17 points. 

The Bobcat women’s record ends at 3-17, and the men’s record finishes with 9-11. To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. The regular basketball season is over for the Bobcats, but for the men the Canada West playoffs begin! They face the U of M Bison’s next week in Winnipeg, a team they have two losses and a win against. Best of luck in your next game, men!

Bobcats Volleyball

Volleyball teams went out West to face some stiff competition from the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver. The men would take two losses, winning only a single set, while the women would take a loss and a victory, totaling five sets won.

The women played right until the fifth set on their first night in BC. Winning the first set was huge for the women, taking the early lead, but slowly they fell behind. The scores got worse for the women before they got better as in the second set they lost 19-25 and then 13-25. The next two sets would go right till the end as they won the fourth 27-25 and just barely lost the fifth 14-16.

Saturday night though, things got heated right from the get go and the Bobcats took the first two sets both by 25-23. In the third set the Thunderbirds would bounce back but the Bobcats went for the kill in the fourth match, again 25-23. It was quite the impressive victory for the women as they defeated the top-ranked team!

Some top players of the weekend who each dominated in their category include: Nikala Majewski with 34 points, Danielle Larocque with 8 blocks, Mary Thompson who had 70 assists and Caitlin Le with 29 digs.

The men’s games were not near as successful although some sets did have some intense moments. Fridays game the men took only the third set and were only beaten at most by 6 points. The loss would play some major effects in the men’s next game.

Saturday it was a clean sweep for the Thunderbirds, dominating the men in the first quarter by 25-11! The Bobcats would step up in the next set tying it up and forcing the game to 25-27, but would ultimately lose that last set and then the match.

Some top players of the weekend who each dominated in their category include: Seth Friesen with 16 kills, James Weir with 7 blocks, Reece Dixon who had 52 assists and Brady Nault with 16 digs.

The Bobcat women’s record goes to 8-10 and the men’s record goes to 12-6. To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. Their next games will take place here at the HLC against the Griffins from Macewan University. Best of luck Bobcats!

Bobcats Basketball

Bobcats were at home this past weekend and faced off with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The Bobcats would face some tough battles on the court and some close games, but ultimately they would take all loses.

The women’s game Friday night was largely controlled by the Huskies. The Bobcats would take a loss of 76-91, never being able to take the lead since jump off.

Saturday the women faired slightly worse than the night before, this time taking a loss 61-79. The Huskies were able to force 24 turnovers from the Bobcats, picking BU’s offence apart. The Huskies certainly have their eyes on the national tournament as their record goes 16-2.

Top players of the weekend include Keisha Cox with 38 points, Adrianna Proulx with 23 and Lauren Anderson with 22.

The men’s Friday night was a closely contested conflict as the ‘Cats worked vigorously for each point. The men were just slightly squeezed out of their victory as the Huskies were just barely able to keep their 2 point lead. The Bobcats would lose the match 79-81.

Saturday night’s game was nearly just as exciting for the Bobcats. They still just barely fell behind in the first quarter and it would be those points which made the difference in the outcome of the game. Before the half the men were down 27-32 and by the end of the game they would lose 80-84.

The men’s top players of the game include Tyvon Cooper with 32 points followed by, Jonathan Range with 29 and Pookie Saunders with 22.

The Bobcat women’s record goes to 2-16, taking their eleventh straight loss this season, and the men’s record goes to 8-10. To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. Basketball next week will take place out in Kamloops BC where the Bobcats will face off with the Wolfpack! Best of luck in your next games!

ACC Cougars

The Cougars men’s and women’s volleyball and futsal teams played games in Brandon this past weekend. In volleyball they would face off with the CMU Blazers while the futsal teams played the Bobcats!

The men’s first volleyball game came away with a loss for them on Friday, though they were able to win the second set 25-22. The men would not fare much better Saturday as the Blazers would win in a clean sweep! Altogether the men would win just one set. Their top players of the weekend would include Braden Campbell with 25 kills and Jordan Todd with 16 kills.

The women’s Friday night game resulted in a wash out as the CMU Blazers took each set, 25-16, 25-23, and 25-21. Saturday led to quiet the excitement of the Cougars though as they won two sets that were tied, first 31-29 then 26-24. The women would just lose the final set, but it was a great game for the Cougars. Their top players included Erica Scott with 27 kills and while in the last game Skyla Vanmackelbergh got 17 kills alone!

Futsal did not go much better than the volleyball had for the men’s team. The cougars were down 0-5 at the half and the Bobcats would steal a mighty victory 12-3. The goals were scored by Fernado Castro and Mario Urias.

The women’s game was very well played when they faced off with the Bobcats. The cougars held a 0-1 lead going into the half and only stumbled just enough for BU to catch up 1-1. The game would end in a tie with the women putting a check on the Cougars previous misfortunes.

The Cougars next games take place February 2-3, with a mix of teams playing, from volleyball to futsal to hockey. For more details check out the ACC Cougars webpage. Best of luck in your next games Cougars!

Cougars

The Cougars had a busy weekend as their teams played at home and away. In volleyball the men and women played against the Providence University Pilots, and in Futsal the men and women were on the road in Winnipeg for two separate matches.

In volleyball the Cougars could not keep up with Pilots. Both men and women took three straight losses Friday night. Saturday night did not tell a different story for either of the Cougars teams. The men would lose 20-25, 18-25 and 11-25 while the women would lose 22-25, 19-25 and 22-25. The Cougars volleyball teams play next weekend against the CMU Blazers.

Futsal did not go any better for the Cougars. The first matches were played against St. Boniface and the second matches were played against Red River. In the men’s first game they found themselves down by 6 points at the halfway point and by the end of the match lost 19-5. Their second game ended with Red River winning 5-2. The women’s games also resulted in losses ended 2-8 against St. Boniface and 0-9 against Red River. The Futsal teams will be taking on the Bobcats at the HLC on the 26th.

Bobcats Volleyball

The volleyball teams took to the court this past weekend here at the HLC as they faced off with the UBC Okanagan Heat. Both men and women would play the game well but it was only the men who walked away unscathed while the women would add another two losses to their record.

The women were swept away their first night by the Heat. The Bobcats would lose 20-25, 20-25 and 15-25. Not being able to keep up with the Heat’s offense the Bobcats fell as another victim to the UBC-Okanagan. The Heat are the #3 ranked team and it showed the first night as they defeated the Bobcats.

Saturday the women fell once again to the Heat, but were able to win the first set! Starting off strong they won their first battle 25-21, and after that falling behind a little bit more after each set. Losing 23-25, 20-25 and 13-25. Top players for the weekend were Nikala Majewski with 26 kills, Danielle Larocque with 8 blocks and Caitlin Le with 28 digs.

The men’s Friday night was super successful for them as they put down all competition winning 3-0. The men had some close sets but by the third had dominated 25-10.

Saturday night the game was once again swept away by the Bobcats. The men faced tough competition but were able to again take the victories, winning 25-22, 25-23 and 25-17. Top players of the weekend were Elliot Viles with 21 kills, Mason Metcalf with 7 blocks and Reece Dixon with 19 digs.

The Bobcat women’s record goes to 7-9 and the men’s record goes to 12-4. To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. The Bobcats next games will take place in Vancouver against the UBC Thunderbirds. Best of luck athletes!

Bobcats Soccer

The Bobcat soccer teams are back out and active! However its not out in the fields that the men and women are playing but in the warmth of the gym! That’s right, the Futsal season has started at BU and the Bobcats received a little taste of everything this weekend with a win, a tie and two losses.

The women’s team took a tie on Saturday in their first game. They played against Red River and each scored 2 points. Their second game was also on Saturday, but this time against St. Boniface. Here the Bobcats took a loss 2-4.

The men’s team also played two games this weekend. Their battle against Red River went rather well for the men as they won 7-4. The next game against St. Boniface would result in a loss for men, losing 4-6.

These are the first games the Bobcats have played since the playoffs in October. The Bobcats next games take place on the 26th at the HLC against the ACC Cougars. The women’s record will start off as 0-1-1 while the men will have a 1-1. Best of luck in your next games!

Bobcats Basketball

This past weekend out in Saskatchewan, the Bobcats were locked in battle with the Cougars of the University of Regina. The men would get a mixed bag of a win and loss, and the women would get a thrashing the first night and another pair of losses.

The women’s Friday night resulted in one of the biggest travesties this reporter has ever seen with regards to the score. The women of BU were outscored 51-118. Each quarter was dominated by the Cougars, the Bobcats were not even able to break more than 20 points a quarter. Where they really fell behind was in the first quarter when BU was down by 29 points.

Saturday the women once again fell behind in the first quarter although this time it was a far closer lead from the Cougars. The women would fall away little by little but still clinging to the heels of Regina. This game would end with the final score of 73-92. Top players for the weekend were Lauren Anderson who had 22 points and Keisha Cox at 24 points.

The men’s Friday night was an intense match where the Bobcats fought tooth and nail for every point. Each quarter was high scoring with the final quarter having almost 60 points scored by each team. With the edge going to the Bobcats, winning the game 106-97.

Saturday night the game was closely matched throughout each quarter. There was some give and take on each side but BU would end up losing 75-83. Top players of the weekend were Jonathan Range with 32 points and Tyvon Cooper with 38 points.

The Bobcat women’s record goes to 2-14 and the men’s record goes to 8-8. To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. Basketball will take place here next weekend where the Bobcats will face off with the U of S Huskies! Best of luck in your next games!

HLC Intramurals

Each semester, students have access to the Healthy Living Center built into their  tuition fees. As a result, the use of the gym and other activities are included. Among these activities are intramurals. 

During the winter term, there are two in which students can take part in if they wish. The first one listed is the Co-Ed Adult basketball. This takes place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30PM until 10:30PM. The second on the list is the Co-Ed Adult Volleyball, which takes place on Mondays at 7:00PM. More may be put on the list as they become available, for now these two are the only ones listed. Registration can be done online at gobobcats.ca or in person at the Healthy Living Center.

Intramurals are an excellent opportunity to highlight friendships, sportsmanship, and talent. The university is a place where students are nurtured toward becoming responsible and productive members of society. Post-secondary education provides a means of molding students into capable employees or professionals in their chosen fields, and Intramurals give the students a chance to have fun between classes and exams.

Bobcats Volleyball Ready for New Year

The various Bobcat teams have been off for the winter break but the volleyball men’s team played in the Wesmen Classic tournament the weekend of the 28th to 30th. The games were held out in Winnipeg and the men played against the University of Regina Cougars, the Ryerson University Rams, and the Universite Laval Rouge et Or in the round robin. On the 30th the men started to play in the playoffs part of the tournament.

The Bobcats’ first game against Regina was hard fought and won 3-0. They took victories 25-13, 25-18, 25-22, leaving the Cougars behind in the ranking as the Bobcats moved up on their way to the semi-playoffs. The second game was against Ryerson as they took another clean sweep 25-18, 25-23, and 25-16. Ryerson moves off to the B-side semi-finals. The third game that the Bobcats played against Laval winning the first set 25-23 but losing the next 3 sets 24-26, 21-25, 21-25. Laval would move onto play the University of Manitoba in the semi-finals.

The Bobcats will be playing U of W Wesmen in the other semi-final game. The game was played on the 30th and the finals of the A side and B side followed. The volleyball teams next games are on the 12th and 13th out in Calgary Alberta. Both the Bobcats and Dino’s are tied up for the fourth position rank each with nine wins and three losses. 

To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. Enjoy your break from school athletes!

Basketball Alumni Night PSA

Welcome back sport fans to another exciting semester of Bobcat games. Along with the games coming up there are some special events, including Alumni nights! These Alumni nights occur every so often on behalf the Alumni Chapter’s of Brandon University.

The next Alumni night is happening January 12th for the Bobcats basketball team’s return to the court. The BU Bobcats will be defending their den against the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves. Alumni are welcome to come and catch up with their old colleagues at the game and enjoy the HLC’s exclusive lounge.

Available for members are some free pizza, refreshments, and door prizes. Get all of these cool things while watching the men’s and women’s basketball games! The women’s game takes place at 6:00PM and the men’s game starts at 8:00PM. To reserve tickets for the game go to the Brandon University website and check out the events calendar. As always, students get in for free by presenting their valid student ID cards. Go Bobcats!