For the first time in 11 years, the Bisons women’s volleyball team are national champions. The No. 3 seeded Herd captured their eighth title in school history with a commanding 3-1 win (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 25-16) over No. 5 seed Montreal on Saturday in front of a sold-out home crowd of over 3500.

It was a team effort all throughout. Manitoba hit .357 overall, Katreena Bentley had 47 assists, five different players had at least nine digs, four had at least five assisted blocks, and three tallied double-digit kills, led by Tournament MVP Raya Surinx’s 23.

It was fitting for a well-oiled Bisons unit whose relationships, in the case of seniors Bentley, libero Julia Arnold and left side Uchechukwu, date back well over a decade.