After having a bye week, the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men's volleyball team will take their show on the road for the final time in the 2019-20 Canada West regular season.
The WolfPack (5-13) put their two match winning streak on the line as they visit a team below them in the standings. Thompson Rivers visits the MacEwan University Griffins (2-18) on Friday (Feb 7) and Saturday (Feb 8).
The Griffins have lost their last eight matches in a row.
MacEwan does have one of the top offensive threats in Canada West in fifth year Max Vriend. The fifth year outside hitter from Barrhead, Alberta leads the league in kills per set (4.01) and overall kills (269). Vriend is the lone fifth year player on the MacEwan roster.
Thompson Rivers has a pair of top stats players of their own. It is their co-captains.
Landon Currie (3
rd year, libero, Vernon, BC) is third in the league in digs per set (2.06) and second in overall digs (146) while
Sam Taylor Parks (5
th year, middle, Kelowna, BC) is sitting in third spot in the blocks per set category (1.03).
The teams met last year at the Tournament Capital Centre where the WolfPack took both matches 3-1. On Friday, November 23
rd the scores were 18-25,25-23,25-22,25-13. Jordan Peters (4
th year, outside hitter, Edmonton, AB) had 14 kills in 20 chances to lead MacEwan. Thompson Rivers was led by
Tim Dobbert with 26 kills in 52 chances.
Charlie Bringloe (5
th year, outside hitter, Waterloo, ON) had 18 kills in 33 swings.
Kyle Behiels (5
th year, middle, Edmonton, AB) had eight kills in 13 chances while
Anton Napolitano (4
th year, setter, Victoria, AUS) had 50 assists and two service aces.
Saturday, November 24
th, the Pack won 22-25,25-19,25-16, 25-23 behind Dobbert's 21 kills in 39 chances. Bringloe was 13 for 31 and Taylor Parks contributed 10 kills in 17 opportunities. Napolitano had 46 assists and five service aces. MacEwan was led by Vriend with 10 kills in 34 chances. Peters was 8 for 24.
The last time these two squads met in Edmonton was the 2016-17 Canada West campaign. MacEwan swept the weekend. On Friday, Nov 25, 2016 they won 3-1 (28-26,19-25,25-22,25-22) and Saturday, November 26, 2016 the teams went a full five sets before the Griffins emerged victorious 22-25,20-25,25-23,25-22,15-12.
The Griffins feature a pair of players from Australia. Outside hitter Jefferson Morrow is into his first year from Wynnum while libero David Morgan is into his fourth year from Brisbane.
Rookie
Nimo Benne (outside hitter, Castricum, Netherlands) has taken over the lead in kills on the WolfPack with 210
STATISTICAL LEADERS:
TRU:
KILLS: Nimo Benne (210),
Charlie Bringloe (172)
Sam Taylor Parks (126)
SERVICE ACES: Bringloe (22)
Anton Napolitano (18), Taylor Parks (17
DIGS: Landon Currie (146), Benne (107), Napolitano (106)
SOLO BLOCKS: Taylor Parks (20), Napolitano (11),
Kyle Behiels (6)
TOTAL BLOCKS: Taylor Parks (73), Behiels (35), Napolitano (29)
ASSISTS: Napolitano (401),
Samuel Elgert (246), Currie (55)
MACEWAN:
KILLS: Max Vriend (269), Jordan Peters (103), Jefferson Morrow (90)
SERVICE ACES: Vriend (17), Jordan Krause and Jordan Peters (7),
DIGS: Vriend (94), Morrow (90), David Morgan (74)
SOLO BLOCKS:
TOTAL BLOCKS: Vriend (37), Keenan Koss (27), Mark Alexander (25)
ASSISTS: Jonathan Mohler (283), Thomas Watchman (265), Morrow (20)
Match times this weekend are 7:30 PM MDT on Friday (Feb 7) and 6 :30 PM MDT on Saturday (Feb 7). You can watch them on a pay-per-view basis on Canada West TV presented by Co-OP by accessing:
https://cw.yaretv.com/. Results will be available on the WolfPack social media platforms and their website
www.goWolfPack.ca.
COMMENTS OF WOLFPACK HEAD COACH PAT HENNELLY:
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1225237596806082560
COMMENTS OF WOLFPACK MIDDLE KYLE BEHIELS (5TH YEAR, EDMONTON, AB):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1225237543223869440
COMMENTS OF WOLFPACK MIDDLE SAM TAYLOR PARKS (5TH YEAR, KELOWNA, BC):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1225237452442353664
