Matthew Hamilton
Andrew Snucins
0
MacEwan Griffins GMU 0-0,0-0
3
Winner Thompson Rivers University TRU 0-0,0-0
MacEwan Griffins GMU
0-0,0-0
0
Final
3
Thompson Rivers University TRU
0-0,0-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
MacEwan Griffins GMU 17 18 17 (0)
Thompson Rivers University TRU 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | TRU WolfPack

WolfPack shine in return to home court

QUICK FIRE
  • Just two days after helping celebrate the life of their teammate Owyn McInnis at a ceremony inside the TCC, the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's volleyball team picked up an emotional 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-17) victory over the MacEwan Griffins on that very same court.
 
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • Sam Flowerday was the picture of efficiency for TRU compiling 16 kills and making just one error on his 23 attacks to finish with a hitting percentage of .652%. Rylan Ibbetson and Matthew Hamilton both added eight kills. Setter Sam Elgert finished with 28 assists and four blocks.
  • A young Griffins lineup was led by Nicholas Jabusch with seven kills, Mason Moore with six and Aidan McLennan with five.
  • TRU was extremely efficient on the night, hitting .471% as a team. They also won the battle at the net with 12 blocks to the Griffins 2.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • TRU set the tone for the match to come early on the night. Buoyed by a strong home crowd, the 'Pack started the match on a 12-3 run thanks to two kills each from Flowerday and Hamilton. An Owen Johnson kill allowed the Griffins to cut the gap to just five at 19-14 but that's as close as the visitors would come. Elgert and Corbin Ockerman ended the first set in emphatic fashion with back-to-back blocks
  • The Griffins kept things closer early in the second set before the WolfPack exploded late. The 'Pack finished the match on a 7-2 run to take the frame 25-18 on a solo block courtesy of Archie Golding.
  • Five kills from Flowerday and a pair of service aces from Ockerman in the third allowed TRU to take the set and match.

NOTABLE
  • Flowerday's mark of .652% was his best of both the season and his WolfPack career.
  • The win was an important one for a WolfPack squad that now holds a record of 6-7, just one game behind the eighth and final playoff spot.

QUOTABLE – Pat Hennelly, head coach
  • It was a little heavier than last week, we obviously knew this week would be heavy but I was proud of the way the guys stepped up there and it was just a businesslike, professional showing.
  • You look at what has happened in the last six weeks and the fact that these guys can even come into practice is amazing. The practices have been good, coming back from the winter break, they were leading me – I was struggling with how do I approach this – and the guys were just professional. I'm really proud of them.
  • Flowerday is out there making it look easy. He's an exceptional athlete and he's got focus and purpose, it's great when you have a guy like that – he makes games easy. Flowerday and Rylan both were out there taking care of business, they're both having exceptional seasons so far.
Dylan VanSpankeren, 4th-year libero
  • Since everything happened, every practice we've had and every game we've played there has been a higher sense of purpose. Coming back I had a long talk with myself about what the rest of the season would look like and I think it's playing for something more than myself and I think that feeling carries over to every single guy on our team."
  • I am beyond proud. This is a horrible thing that's happened but it has brought out the best in all of these guys. What we went through is not easy emotionally but everyone has fought through it and stuck together and this group of guys is going to be bonded for life because of that.

UP NEXT
  • These teams will do battle again tomorrow evening inside the TCC at 4:45 p.m.
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