Not since Eric Lindros was traded to Philadelphia has there been this much anticipation of Canadians arriving in America.

The ever-growing trend of Canadians dominating American sports (see Toronto Blue Jays, Wayne Gretzky, etc.) may continue when the men's volleyball team hosts Manitoba at 7:30 tonight in Rec Hall.

Manitoba is currently ranked second in its conference (Great Plains Athletic Conference) and in its equivalent of the NCAA (Canadian Inter-university Athletic Union). In both cases, the No. 1 team is cross-town rival Winnipeg.

The No. 8 Lions (6-2) will not look at these matches as exhibitions. They see them as excellent learning experiences and chances to play against quality teams.

"They are going to be one of our hardest matches this year," senior Ricky Roper said. "We've played against these guys a lot -- there's a pretty strong rivalry. They can get really fired up and at times, it gets really competitive."

Since none of the high-ranking West Coast teams will visit Rec Hall this season, this will be some of the strongest competition the team will see prior to the postseason action.

"(These matches) will get us prepared for the tougher teams we will see at the end of the year in the Final Four," Roper said. "It is a good opportunity for us to get playing time against high-quality teams."

The Bisons are coached by Garth Pischke, who is in his 16th season, and has led Manitoba to four national championships. He has been in the postseason tournament every year that he has coached Manitoba. Last year was the first time his team did not finish among the top three.

Leading the Bisons is 6-foot-4 middle hitter Darren Carlson. The fourth-year player has 115 total blocks this season and is a main reason for Manitoba's strong blocking.

"Our blocking is one of our better points," Pischke said. "Carlson calls most of the plays from the front row and he's our team captain. A good game by him usually rubs off on the rest of the team."

The two major differences between NCAA and CIAU rules are that Canadian university sports allow for five years of eligibility and Canadian referees are stricter in calling lifts during sets.

"We have tighter setting up here," Coach Garth Pischke said. "The rules are really strict. Our sets have to be crisp and quick."