KAMLOOPS – The Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's volleyball team played host to some of the top programs in the country this past weekend and earned a pair of victories in the process.
 
With the UBC Thunderbirds, Trinity Western Spartans, MRU Cougars, UFV Cascades, UBC Okanagan Heat, Alberta Pandas and Manitoba Bisons all in town, the tournament was a chance for the perennial powerhouses of Canadian university volleyball to test their mettle against one another.
 
"Overall for the weekend, I thought we were pretty solid," said WolfPack head coach Chad Grimm. "This was a good chance to see everyone on the floor and was good to see everyone contribute and play within themselves, to do their role to the best of their ability."
 
GAME 1: TRU 3, ALB 1 (26-24, 25-23, 14-25, 25-21)
 
The 'Pack got their tournament started with a bang, taking down the reigning national silver medallist Alberta Pandas in the first game. TRU secured tight victories in the first and second sets and were able to bounce back from a rough third to close out the contest.
 
"The girls did a pretty good job of bouncing back after the third set," said Grimm. "Alberta came out tough in the third set and served really well, they are a perennial powerhouse for a reason – they know how to win games."
 
"For us to come back in the fourth was important and that for the most part we held our nerve. It's important that we learn how to win as a group so it's nice to get a result. We were undisciplined at times defensively and at the net so there are definitely things we can clean up. At the end of the day I thought we took step forward in getting better as a team which is what matters."
 
GAME 2: MAN 3, TRU 1 (31-33, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20)
 
In the semifinals the 'Pack took on a Manitoba squad that finished third in the country last season. After taking a close first set, the 'Pack hung tough but were unable to earn another against a strong Bisonsside that is hosting this year's U SPORTS National Championship
 
GAME 3: TRU 3, TWU 2 (27-25, 24-26, 25-15, 23-25, 22-20)
 
With Manitoba having to miss the championship match due to an early flight, the WolfPack took their spot in the final game against the Trinity Western Spartans. TRU made sure they ended their weekend on a high with a five-set victory over TWU.
 
"Tight one today, I'm happy the group was able to pull it out in the end," said Grimm. "We had the chance to close it out in the second set before things got away from us and then in the fourth we had a pretty big lead so it was good that the team was able to hang on in the fifth and get a result."

TRU will play their first regular season games of 2024-25 on the road in Manitoba before returning to Kamloops for their home openers on November 1-2.

"With the exception of one set all weekend we were able to maintain our focus for the bulk of the tournament, so it was good to see a consistent level, and a lot of depth on our roster. We'll increase our level of practice and push to improve as the regular season gets ready to roll here."