The Trinity Western Spartans rallied from a 0-2 deficit to win the final three sets and sweep a two-game series with the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
The Spartans women’s volleyball team, ranked No. 1 in the country, improved to 2-0 after winning 3-0 and 3-2 over the weekend at the Langley Events Centre.
“We had to get past the fact that TRU was playing better than they were playing last night and we were playing at a lower level. We had to figure out the changes and the adjustments that they made and start playing the way we can play,” commented TWU head coach Ryan Hofer on the team’s slow start.
“We got back into the match and started to put pressure on and kept pushing and were able to rise to the occasion. We needed fifth year players and all-Canadians to play like they can. Which they did after the first two sets.”
Alicia Perrin with nine kills and nine blocks and Sophie Carpentierwith eight kills and 11 digs led the Spartans.
The WolfPack took the first two sets 25-22 and 25-20 before TWU came back to win 25-21 and 25-11 to force the fifth and deciding set.
The Spartans won the decisive set 15-13.
In Friday’s opener, TWU won by scores of 25-21, 22-22 and 25-20.
The Trinity Western men’s volleyball team also took both games over the visiting WolfPack, winning 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21) and 3-0 (25-23,25-22,25-20).
“This early in the season it is going be sloppy and both teams were equally sloppy tonight,” commented TWU head coach Ben Josephson. “The first few weeks it is going to be about who can play cleanest the longest. The team that can pass well the will win. Our team’s reception was better which was why we won.”
“We try to build through a match. I think we started to figure out how they were playing us and what they were doing. So we just got better as the set went on. We’ve done that a lot this year where we build early, pull away in the middle and finish late. The first two sets followed that model well.”
Ryan Sclater with 13 kills, two blocks and two aces led the Spartans attack, while Randy Grundmann with 12 kills led the WolfPack offence.
The Spartans serving proved to be the difference in the match. They finished with eight aces, but the serving also helped set up their blocking where they finished with nine team blocks to the WolfPack’s 4.5 blocks.
The Spartans are ranked third in the country.
Both TWU volleyball teams are in Kelowna this weekend to face the UBC Okanagan Heat.
