Andrew Snucins

MRU Cougars MRU 16-6,16-6

TRU WolfPack TRU 10-12,10-12

MRU Cougars MRU

16-6,16-6

Final

Feb. 16, 2024

TRU WolfPack TRU

10-12,10-12

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
MRU Cougars MRU	23	16	25	25	11	(2)
TRU WolfPack TRU	25	25	18	9	15	(3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | 2/17/2024 12:27:00 AM | TRU WolfPack

WolfPack rally to take down Cougars in five on Senior Night

Next Match:

Mount Royal

2/17/2024 | 4:45 PM

Full Schedule

Feb. 17 (Sat) / 4:45 PM

Mount Royal

History

QUICK FIRE

The Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's volleyball team came up clutch when they needed to the most to keep their playoff hopes intact with a 3-2 (25-23, 25-16, 18-25, 9-25, 15-11) victory over the Mount Royal Cougars Friday night.

DIFFERENCE MAKERS

An efficient night from Matthew Hamilton was key to the WolfPack victory as the product of Lethbridge had 17 kills on just 31 attempts. Sam Flowerday – who entered the weekend leading the nation in kills – added another 17. Corbin Ockerman, playing the final regular season weekend of his university career, had five kills and five service aces to go along with a pair of blocks.
Chris Byam led all players with 19 kills for MRU. Jacob Van Geel added 11 of his own while Max Haronga finished with 10 kills and five service aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED

A big comeback paved the way for WolfPack victory in the first set. MRU held a lead at 18-15 before TRU ripped off a 6-1 run that featured a pair of Flowerday kills to give the 'Pack a 21-19 advantage. TRU pushed that lead all the way to 24-21 and while the Cougars fought off a pair of set points, Rylan Ibbetson eventually ended the frame with a big kill.
Three-straight service aces courtesy of Ockerman proved to be the turning point in the second. The graduating middle extended a 16-14 WolfPack lead all the way to 19-14 by himself to help TRU run away with a 25-16 victory.
The Cougars took momentum back in the game in a big way. They scored six of the final seven points in the third set to take it 25-18 before absolutely dominating the fourth with a 25-9 victory to send it to a fifth and final frame.
TRU wouldn't let the game slip away from them however. A 5-1 run that saw Sam Flowerday score all five points gave the 'Pack a 6-3 led early in the fifth. From there the teams traded points until Hamilton put the match away at 15-11.

NOTABLE

The match featured a return to the TCC for Riley Brinnen as he continues to recover from injuries sustained during the tragic car crash on November 29.
Prior to the game TRU celebrated graduating athletes Sam Elgert, Corbin Ockerman and Dylan VanSpankeren
With the win TRU keeps their playoff hopes intact and now hold a record of 11-12. The 'Pack will need to defeat Mount Royal once again tomorrow and hope that Manitoba loses to Saskatchewan to sneak into the eighth and final playoff spot.

QUOTABLE – Head coach Pat Hennelly.

"That's how we wrote it up – start hot and finish hot," joked Hennelly.
"That game was a snapshot of how this season has gone, we hit the wall but I have to give credit to the guys, they came back from the worst set loss of the year and really turned the jets on."
"There's no quit in those guys and with Riley Brinnen here it was a great effort."
"We said from the minute we started practice this week that if we're not serving tough, we're not in this game so we really had to strap it on to give us a chance."
On the return of Riley Brinnen "It felt like he was right where he belonged and right from the first set and in warmup I could see that we were engaged and on."

UP NEXT