Third place in the Canada West women's volleyball league is on the line this weekend as the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack  close out the road portion of their season in Edmonton against the MacEwan University Griffins.

The two teams meet Friday and Saturday (Feb 7-8) with both teams nationally ranked.
The Griffins (16-6, ELO 1667.80) have moved into the U SPORTS top ten rankings in the eighth position after road victories last weekend (Jan 31-Feb 1) in Kelowna, BC against the UBCO Heat.  The WolfPack (15-5, ELO 1663.34) had a bye weekend.

Thompson Rivers has won its last three matches going into this weekend. MacEwan has been victorious in their last four outings.
Match times are 6 PM MDT on Friday (Feb 7) and  5 PM MDT on Saturday (Feb 8).


RECORDS OF NOTE:

The WolfPack have won 50 sets this year so far with 25 defeats while the Griffins, who have two matches in hand have a 50-29 mark.

MacEwan is 9-1 at home this season while Thompson Rivers is 6-4 on the road and is unbeaten in matches played on a Saturday in 2019-20.

Both squads have a number of statistical leaders in Canada West going into this, the second last weekend of the regular season.   Kendra Finch of the WolfPack (5^th year, outside hitter, North Vancouver, BC) is fourth in the league in kills (252) and fifth in kills per set (3.36) while teammate Kseniya Kocyigit (1^st year, middle, Byroza, Belarus) is fourth in hitting per cent (.335).

MacEwan's Rachel Jovina (4^th year, libero, Edmonton, AB) leads Canada West in digs (337) and digs per set (4.43).  Haley Gilfillan (5^th year, middle, Edmonton, AB) is third in hitting per cent (.335) and blocks per set (1.15) along with being fifth in service aces per set (0.49). Teammate Kylie Schubert (3^rd year, setter, Edmonton, AB) is fourth in assists per set (9.28).

 WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES:

Last year, the teams met at the Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops, BC on November 23^rd and 24^th (2018).  MacEwan won the opening night in straight sets (25-23,25-22,25-23) led by MacKenna Stevenson's (5^th year, middle, Spruce Grove, AB)  10 kills in 24 chances. Carly Weber had eight kills in 27 chances while Schubert had 23 assists.  Thompson Rivers was led by Olga Savenchuk (2^nd year, outside hitter, Donetsk, Ukraine) with 10 kills in 41 swings.  Gabriela Podloski (4^th year, outside hitter, Grande Prairie, AB) was eight for 27.  Abby Spratt (4^th year, setter, Calgary, AB) had 20 assists while Hali Drezet (4^th year, libero, Prince George, BC) had 12 digs.

The following night, Thompson Rivers needed the full five sets to come away with the 'w'.  The scores were 29-27,25-23,14-25,23-25,15-7.  Gilfillan was 15 for 34 for MacEwan who got 14 kills in 44 swings from Janna Ogle.  Stevenson was good on 13 of 26 and Schubert had 46 assists.

Finch was the top offensive player for Thompson Rivers good 22 of 54 times.  Savenchuk was 13 for 44 with 14 digs.  Spratt had 46 assists and Drezet chipped in with 17 digs.

The two squads last played in Edmonton in 2016.  On Friday, November 25^th, TRU won 3-0 with scores of 25-21,25-21,25-20. Iullia Pakhomenko had 18 kills in 37 chances, Mikayla Funk added seven kills in 17 chances while Spratt had 35 assists.

The Griffins won on the Saturday (Nov 26, 2016) 3-1.  The scores 20-25,25-17,25-22,25-20. Pakhomenko had 11 kills, Morgan Kolasa added 9 . Spratt had 35 assists.


STATISTICAL LEADERS:

TRU:
KILLS:  Kendra Finch (252), Olga Savenchuk (196), Kseniya Kocyigit (152)
SERVICE ACES: Kocyigit (26), Abby Spratt (25), Finch (21)
DIGS:  Finch (239),  Savenchuk (175), Hali Drezet (153)
SOLO BLOCKS: Kocyigit (18), Avery Pottle (10), Finch (8)
TOTAL BLOCKS: Kocyigit (81)Savenchuk (47), Pottle (45)
ASSISTS: Anastasiia Muzyka (396), Spratt (338), Savenchuk (22)


MACEWAN:

KILLS: Lauren Holmes (209), McKenna Stevenson (196), Haley Gilfillan (175)
SERVICE ACES:  Gilfillan (39), Holmes (33), Hailey Cornelis (25)
DIGS: Rachel Jorvina (337), Cornelis (241), Holmes (224)
SOLO BLOCKS: Gilfillan (10), Stevenson (7), Cornelis (5)
TOTAL BLOCKS: Gilfillan (91), Stevenson (71), Carly Weber (44)
ASSISTS:  Kylie Schubert (705), Mackenzie Oshanek-Gladue (53), Jorvina (47)
 
 
COMMENTS OF WOLFPACK COACH CHAD GRIMM:
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1225238037719744513
 
COMMENTS OF WOLFPACK OUTSIDE HITTER ERIN MUTCH (2^ND YEAR, VICTORIA, BC):
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1225237880164909057  
 
 
This weekend's matches can been seen 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.

The WolfPack are back home next weekend (Feb 14-15)  to close out the Canada West regular season when they entertain the top team in Canada West (20-2) and the defending  USPORTS champion Trinity Western University Spartans at the Tournament Capital Centre.  Friday night (Feb 14), it's the WolfPack's annual "I believe you" awareness of sexual abuse night.  Saturday (Feb 15), Thompson Rivers will be honoring their lone fifth year player, Finch after the match.
 
James Matthews and former WolfPack setter Katie Woo will handle the play by play and commentary with CFJC TV's Dylana Milobar acting as the in game host.