MVB
Alessandro Boggio - Thymos Capture
3
Winner Alberta Golden Bears ALB 11-5,11-5
1
TRU WolfPack TRU 6-12,6-12
Winner
Alberta Golden Bears ALB
11-5,11-5
3
Final
1
TRU WolfPack TRU
6-12,6-12
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Alberta Golden Bears ALB 20 25 25 25 (3)
TRU WolfPack TRU 25 17 21 18 (1)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | TRU WolfPack

WolfPack strike first but can’t hold off Golden Bears

QUICK FIRE
  • They led early and had multiple close sets but the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's volleyball team couldn't find a way to victory in a 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18) loss to the Alberta Golden Bears Saturday evening.
     
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • It was a trio of attackers pacing the 'Pack with Rylan Ibbetson, Parker Bailey and Daniel Hitchens all ending the night with seven kills apiece.
  • Jacob Sargent led the Bears with 13 kills with Dylan Martens adding 12.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • TRU's defence came out of the gates hot, holding the Bears to hitting just .100 per cent as team on their way to take the first. Alex Howard led the WolfPack with three kills in a set that TRU ran away with 25-20. A 6-2 run capped off by a Walker Sodaro service ace to start the night set the tone for a first set that TRU never trailed in. Up by as many as seven points at times in the first, a solo block from Jakob Leinemann ended the set with TRU taking it 25-20.
  • The Golden Bears bounced back to hit .310 per cent as a team in the second to pull away with a 25-17 victory. Seven different members of the 'Pack scored a kill in the second.
  • Daniel Hitchens tallied four kills in the third but the Bears were able to claim an incredibly tight set. The teams traded points all the way to 19-19 but the visitors were able to pull away for the 25-21victory.
  • Despite three kills from Ibbetson in the fourth, Alberta was able to close out the match with a 25-18 set victory.

NOTABLE
  • The result drops TRU to a record of 6-12 on the season where they are tied with Calgary Dinos – their next opponent – for the final playoff spot in an incredibly tight postseason race.
 
QUOTABLE (WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly)
  • I thought the second set Alberta did what they had to after losing the first, they came out with some energy and did well from the service line. Passing has been our strength for the whole year and they managed to rattle our guys last night and tonight so I have to give them credit for that – it's not even necessarily our guys' fault, Alberta did a good job changing depths.
  • Parker Bailey had a great night tonight, we had a couple different middles play well – Daniel Hitchens did well defensively.
  • It just wasn't there, there were multiple times there were scramble plays and we just didn't win the long rallies which is sometimes an indication as to what is going on in the game.
  • Credit to Rylan Ibbetson for giving everything he has.
  • I wish we could go back to that second set and replay it and just get the guys a little more fired up with some cheering and tougher serving. It's unfortunate that after an excellent start that we couldn't sustain it. 
UP NEXT
  • A bye week is ahead for the WolfPack before they finish the 2025-26 Canada West regular season with a pair of games on the road against the Calgary Dinos (Feb. 13-14).
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