KAMLOOPS – The Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's volleyball team showcased a never-say-die attitude to pick up a 3-2 (28-30, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12) victory over the No. 9 ranked team in the nation, the Saskatchewan Huskies.
Matthew Hamilton had a breakout performance for the 'Pack with 18 kills along with a pair of aces.
Thundersky Walkingbear was steady for the 'Pack as always with 14 kills and Archie Golding was electric in in his first real action of the season, picking up 11 kills to go along with an ace.
The Huskies were fueled by an incredible performance from Dylan Mortensen, who finished the night with 26 kills, 7.5 blocks and two aces. Levi Olson was a force to be reckoned with on the service line, ending the game with six aces to go along with 11 kills.
"That's one of the best team performances we've had, and we were down our best player," said WolfPack head coach
Pat Hennelly on his team's performance despite top offensive threat
Sam Flowerday missing the game. "I was impressed by Archie Golding and can't say enough about
Matthew Hamilton. He was the man tonight."
The first set was a tight contest with the two teams trading points back and forth. Olson led the way for the Huskies with seven kills but thanks to strong play from Hamilton and Walkingbear, who had five kills each, the WolfPack found themselves with three set point opportunities. Saskatchewan refused to go away however and a kill by Mortensen and then an ace right after allowed the Huskies to snag a 30-28 victory.
A strong serving streak by Elgert pushed the 'Pack out to a six-point lead early in the second set. A Hamilton kill gave the WolfPack four set point opportunites at 24-20 before Mortensen and the Huskies would again cause some wary moments for the WolfPack with the visitors quickly closing the gap to 24-23. TRU wouldn't let a second set slip away from them however and took it by a score of 25-23.
The third set would be more of the same as no team was showing any signs of fatigue. The set was tied up all the way until 20-20. The 'Pack would slowly start to creep away with the set as they reached 24 points first. Hamilton put the frame to an end as the WolfPack won the set by the largest margin so far in the match, three points.
The WolfPack would come out hard to start the fourth set, building a four-point lead. However, thanks to strong play from Mortensen, who finished the set with nine points, the Huskies would level the set and keep things close all the way until 19-19. Two service aces from Olson was the difference maker for the Huskies as they helped propel Saskatchewan to a 25-22 victory.
It was Rylan Ibbestson who would be the difference maker for the 'Pack in the fifth set. Ibbetson contributed two kills, an ace and a block to help the WolfPack build a lead. A massive kill from Hamilton secured the victory for TRU and helped them complete the upset.
The win was an important one for TRU and moves them 5-5 on the season. They will finish their first semester schedule on the road against the Calgary Dinos next weekend. Saskatchewan meanwhile moves to 6-4 with the loss and are currently tied for fifth-place in the conference. The Huskies will head back to Saskatoon where they will welcome the UBC Okanagan Heat next weekend.
