Madison Maichin
Alessandro Boggio - Thymos Capture
3
Winner UFV Cascades UFV 8-5,8-5
2
TRU WolfPack TRU 11-4,11-4
Winner
UFV Cascades UFV
8-5,8-5
3
Final
2
TRU WolfPack TRU
11-4,11-4
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
UFV Cascades UFV 25 25 17 14 15 (3)
TRU WolfPack TRU 16 23 25 25 13 (2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | TRU WolfPack

WolfPack fall to Cascades in back-and-forth battle

QUICK FIRE
  • It was a game to remember Friday night in the TCC as the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's volleyball team came incredibly close to pulling off a massive comeback in an eventual 3-2 (25-16, 25-23, 17-25, 14-25, 15-13) defeat at the hands of the UFV Cascades.

DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • Hail Ward and Rida Erlalelitepe led the way for the 'Pack as they both finished with 16 kills. Erlalelitepe added a trio of service aces while Ward had a trio of block assists and a team-high 13 digs. Libero Olivia Andulajevic added 12 digs and 21 successful serve receptions while Madison Maichin was extremely efficient with three aces and pair of digs.
  • Sisters Talia and Lauren Attieh were the story for the Cascades offensively. Talia recorded a game-high 21 kills with Lauren close behind with 18.
     
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The Cascades dominated the first set, firing in six aces in the opening frame to run away with it 25-16.
  • TRU worked their way back into the game in a close second set that went to UFV. Ward tallied an efficient five kills for the 'Pack while Erlalelitepe and setter Libby Meldrum both had a pair of aces. Three-straight TRU points saw the hosts take a two-point edge at 23-21 but the Cascades found an answer by scoring the next four points in a row to take the set 25-23.
  • With their backs against the wall, it was TRU's turn to dominate the third. The WolfPack held UFV to hitting just .077 per cent as a team while also outblocking the Cascades 4-0. Erlalelitepe had four kills and Maria Dancheva recorded a pair of blocks as the WolfPack rolled to a 25-17 victory.
  • TRU kept that momentum going with an even stronger effort in the fourth. The WolfPack hit just under .500 per cent as a team and never trailed in the set on their way to taking it 25-14.
  • A game that had been back-and-forth all night saw more momentum swings in the fifth and final frame. The Cascades started the fifth on fire, jumping all the way out to a 9-2 lead. TRU then responded with an 8-2 run of their own that featured two kills from Dancheva as well as back-to-back aces from Maichin to get to within one point at 11-10. UFV took match point at 14-11 and while a kill from Millam kept the 'Pack in it, TRU couldn't complete the comeback as Talia Attieh ended the night with a kill to give UFV the 15-13 win.

QUOTABLE (WolfPack head coach Chad Grimm)
  • It was a really slow start. They lead the league in aces so we know they can serve the ball tough and we didn't do a good enough job of passing the ball and let them score too easily. They have good wing hitters but the points were coming too fast and I don't think we were disciplined in defence, we were letting tips and rolls score, so the points were going fast.
  • The second was marginally better but we just were flat and couldn't respond to the push that they were making. When you are down 2-0 and you have to win three in a row against a good team, you put yourself in a tough spot.
  • I don't think we are going to reinvent the wheel tomorrow, I think we have to come out with a little more discipline.
  • I thought at times they looked like they wanted it more than us and that's not a great spot to be in, especially on home court.
  • The girls turned it around and put up a fight, we could have walked off the court in three so they pushed back - and Fraser Valley played well - but hopefully tomorrow we can start a little better.
  • ON THE PLAY OF MADISON MAICHIN "Mikey has been a stud in that spot, she's a difference maker every time she comes out, either with a big dig or going on a service run. She has been one of our most consistent performers and that's a tough role to sit there for however long and then come out and have to serve some darts and make some digs. She has been dialled in with that so kudos to her for making a difference."

NOTABLE
  • The result moves TRU to a record of 11-4 on the season where they are in third place in the conference.
  • The WolfPack entered the weekend ranked a program-record 4th in the nation.

UP NEXT
  • These same two teams will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, Jan. 24, inside the TCC in a game that gets underway at 3:00 p.m.
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