Playing as Team Canada, Langley’s Trinity Western University Spartans men’s volleyball team lost for the first time at the Pan American Cup, losing to the USA 3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 31-29, 18-25, 15-13) on Tuesday, Sept 7.
After dropping the first set, Canada bounced back to take the second set by seven points and looked on pace to win the third set as well, holding a 24-20 lead.
However, a late response from the USA saw the Americans storm back to win 31-29. TWU replied with a convincing fourth-set win, but, in the fifth set, the USA went on a late run to seal the win.
Langley’s Brodie Hofer and teammate Jesse Elser each tallied 24 points as top scorers for Canada in the match while Isaiah Olfert and Jackson Howe finished with 12 apiece.
Head Coach Ben Josephson described it as a “tough loss .”
“It was an epic five-set battle. It was a bunch of college kids going at it and there were really good systems on both sides of the court and it was super competitive. We love to get into those types of battles, especially in early September. We couldn’t ask for a better challenge or a better learning opportunity, playing against guys who have a similar style and flow and size that we do. It was a good battle.
Josephson said the “turning point and the thing we’re going to regret is that we were up 24-20 in the third set and we let that one get away. That is a credit to the USA.”
Spectacular ðŸ–ðŸ½-set win for @usavolleyball 🇺🇸 against @volleyballcanada 🇨🇦 3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 31-29, 18-25, 15-13) at Men’s Pan Am Cup in Santo Domingo
💻 https://t.co/40BuXc3FN2#volleyball #norceca #gobeyondyourlimits pic.twitter.com/LvpV5PO2KX— NorcecaInfo (@Norceca_Info) September 7, 2021
The Spartans finished the round robin portion of the tournament with a 4-1 record, with wins over Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Suriname.
READ ALSO: Langley’s Trinity Western wins fourth in a row at Pan-Am volleyball
Canada will now play the host Dominican Republic in the semifinals later today (Wednesday).
As the defending Canada West and U SPORTS champions, TWU was asked to represent Canada at this year’s Pan-American Cup.
READ ALSO: Langley’s Hofer plays for Canada – again
After the tournament, the Spartans men’s volleyball team will return to Trinity Western to begin their local preseason games in preparation for their season opener on Nov. 5.
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