For the first time in the program’s history, the Trinity Western Spartans medalled at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships.
The women’s volleyball team defeated the Alberta Pandas 3-1 (25-14,25-19,18-25,25-20) on Sunday at the University of Laval’s PEPS Stadium.
“We are two teams that know each other very well,” said Spartans coach Ryan Hofer, the CIS coach of the year.
“They know us, we know them, we know each other’s tendencies, so we had to come up with creative ways to score points.
“My team was exhausted, especially after last night, and they just showed a lot of heart, a lot of character and a lot of fight.
“It’s great to end on this; I’m proud of my team.”
Kara Jansen Van Doorn was selected player of the game after getting 14 kills and a dozen digs.
She was also named a first team all-Canadian prior to the tournament.
And setter Lauren O’Reilly was named a tournament all-star.
She finished the three days with 124 assists, 53 digs, 11 kills, 5.5 blocks and a pair of aces.
The Spartans entered the eight-team tournament as the second seed, but lost 3-1 (27-25,19-25,28-26,25-19) in the semifinals to the host Laval Rouge et Or.
The team won in five sets in their opener against Western Ontario.
