: The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack have closed out the 2019-20 Canada West regular season on a high note. The WolfPack swept the defending U SPORTS Champion, currently ranked number one team in the country and the Canada West first place finishers : the Trinity Western University Spartans.
The scores at the Tournament Capital Centre were 25-23,25-22,25-23. The Spartans saw their 19 match winning streak snapped on a night where they rested most of their starters in preparation for the upcoming playoffs. They finish at 20-2 while the WolfPack were 8-15.
The Spartans rested their fifth year players: Pearce Eshenko (Banff, AB), Jacob Kern (Edmonton, AB) and their star player: Eric Loeppke (4
th year, outside hitter, Steinbach, MB) as they get set for the post season. All were recognized by the WolfPack and their fans before the match along with TRU's graduating players:
Kyle Behiels (5
th year, middle, Edmonton, AB),
Sam Taylor Parks (5
th year, middle, Kelowna, BC),
Charlie Bringloe (5
th year, outside hitter, Waterloo, ON) and
Joshua Mullaney (4
th year, outside hitter, Calgary, AB)
All four of the WolfPack veterans were instrumental in this victory.
Bringloe had eight kills in 19 chances with three service aces, three digs and two block assists. Mullaney was good seven of 12 times with a solo block and five block assists. Behiels had three kills in eight swings with three block assists and Taylor Parks had four kills in seven attempts with a solo block and five block assists.
Samuel Elgert (2
nd year, setter, Athabasca, AB) had 19 assists, three service aces and two digs.
Nimo Benne (1
st year, outside hitter, Castricum, Netherlands) had five kills in 15 chances with two digs.
Trinity was led by Henry Rempel (1
st year, outside hitter, Swift Current,SK) who had 10 kills in 23 chances . Jesse Elser (2
nd year, outside hitter, Calgary, AB) had eight kills in 20 chances with four digs. Mathias Elser (1
st year, setter, Calgary, AB) had 30 assists.
Shades of Friday's 3-1 Trinity win as it was the Spartans who got to the 16 point time out leading 16-14 in the first set powered by Rempel's five kills and Isaiah Offert (1
st year, outside hitter, Winnipeg, MB)'s four. The Pack were led by Taylor Parks and his team leading four scoring points in the first set. The teams exchanged points with the WolfPack taking the lead in the first set at 22-22-21 and stretched it to a pair (23-21). A pair of kills from Mullaney made it 24-22 before winning it on an attack error 25-23. The teams combined for 16 service errors in the first set: 10 by Trinity.
In the second set, Elgert had back to back service aces to pull TRU ahead 10-9. Trinity came back to take the next two to move ahead 11-10. Later, leading 12-11, Bringloe delivered a rocket down the line for the first of two service aces, the Pack getting three straight points to move to 15-12. Trinity created a run of their own, getting two straight points before a kill by Benne took the Pack into the tech time out ahead 16-13. Trinity came out of the break taking the next two points before Taylor Parks' kill gave TRU control back. They took the second set 25-22. Taylor Parks and Benne had two kills that set for the Pack while Rempel had three kills for the Spartans. Trinity had 24 total kills in the first two sets, which was 10 better than The Pack. Again service errors were costly for both teams: Trinity with seven in the set, TRU with six.
The third set saw TRU jump out to a four point lead .Trinity again hung around and squared the match at 13. A solo block by Jackson Howe (3
rd year, middle, Calgary, AB) gave the Spartans their first lead of the set. (14-13) That resulted in TRU head coach
Pat Hennelly calling a time out to regroup. It was the Spartans who reached 16 points first (leading 16-14). Trinity was inspired. Back to back kills by Jordan Schnitzer (3
rd year, middle, Surrey, BC) and Rempel put them up by four (20-16) leading into TRU's second time out of the set. Down 20-18, Taylor Parks and Bringloe combined on a double block to put them down by one which was shortlived as Bringloes kill off a shoulder tied things at 20. The Spartans regained the lead at 23-22 before Benne's kill on the left side (his sixth scoring point) tied things up. Bringloe's blast out of the back row put the Pack towards the sweep. The set and the match was won appropriately by another fifth year as Behiels got the kill. 25-23 the final score.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
https://youtu.be/8MFxI-AEWYs
WHAT THEY SAID::
TRU head coach Pat Hennelly (14th season):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1228926680858689541
TRU middle Kyle Behiels (5th year, Edmonton, AB):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1228926307838222336
TRU middle Sam Taylor Parks (5th year, Kelowna, BC):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1228925340585644032
TRU outside hitter Charlie Bringloe (5th year, Waterloo, ON):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1228926089235320838
TRU outside hitter Joshua Mullaney (4th year, Calgary, AB):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1228925454238670848
Trinity Western head coach Ben Josephson (13th season):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1228926645345456131
UP NEXT:
Next week , the Spartans will host a first round playoff series in Langley meeting up with the Mount Royal Cougars. As far as the future plans for the WolfPack graduating players: Taylor Parks and Bringloe are looking to play professionally. Bringloe has also applied to enter the Bachelor of Education degree program at TRU to pursue being an elementary teacher. Behiels will go to a university in England to get a Master's degree in Data Science and look at playing pro there. Mullaney plans to do some research and travelling next year.
Statistically for the WolfPack. Currie was second in Canada West in digs (169) and third in digs per set (1.94), Benne was third in the league in kills (265), whileTaylor Parks third in the league in blocks per set (1.05).
All of the above games can been seen on a pay per view basis on Canada West TV presented by Co-op by accessing:
https://cw.yaretv.com/.
