QUICK FIRE

• In a game that couldn't have been any closer, the No. 7 seeded Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's volleyball team came just shy of pulling off an upset in a 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 23-25, 27-29, 15-13) loss to the No. 2 Sherbrooke Vert et Or in a U SPORTS Quarter-final for the ages.
• TRU will now play in a national consolation semifinal tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, at noon.
   

DIFFERENCE MAKERS

• Rida Erlalelitepe tallied a game-high 20 attacks for TRU with middle Maria Dancheva adding 14 to go along with six blocks and a pair of service aces. Olivia Andulajevic, recently named the CW Libero of the Year, recorded a season-high 24 digs in the contest. 50 assists for WolfPack setter Libby Meldrum also were a season-high for the fourth year product of North Vancouver.
• Second-team U SPORTS All-Canadian Beatrice Dubreuil powered Sherbrooke with 18 kills and two aces. Gabrielle Minier added 14 kills while Flowerence Stevanovic was in on nine blocks in the match.
   

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Dancheva powered the 'Pack with five kills in the opening frame but the Vert et Or's defence led them to victory in the first set. A kill and a block from Dancheva followed by an ace from Keira Gent gave TRU their first lead of the frame at 9-7. From there the teams traded points until Sherbrooke took control late, scoring five of the set's final seven points en route to the 25-20 victory.
• Playing in the first national quarter-final in program history, TRU responded in a big way to take the second set 25-19. A 7-1 WolfPack run that featured two kills and a block by Dancheva allowed TRU to turn what was a one-point deficit into an 18-13 lead. From there the WolfPack were able to see out the set with Erlalelitepe contributing three kills down the stretch before ending the frame with a service ace.
• Sherbrooke responded in the third in a set that came right down to the wire. Erlalelitepe had eight kills in the frame and the WolfPack dramatically fought off a pair of set points but couldn't quite get back within two in a 25-23 defeat.
• It was the WolfPack's turn to clutch up in an incredibly close fourth set. After falling into a hole down 3-0 early, the WolfPack turned it around, with Hail Ward, Gent, Dancheva and Erlalelitepe all recording kills to help the 'Pack storm back to take a 10-8 lead. The WolfPack held that lead all the way to 19-18 before a quick 3-0 Sherbrooke run gave them their first advantage since early in the set. With the match on the line, the WolfPack bent but never broke with a Dancheva ace giving TRU set point at 24-23. The Vert et Or were able to fight off four set points before Gent sent the match to a fifth and final frame with a big swing to help TRU earn the 29-27 win.
• The WolfPack controlled the start of the fifth. Third-year middle Myah Cressy was dominant for the 'Pack with three kills as TRU started the final set on an 8-2 run. From there however, Sherbrooke was able to flip the script and fight all the way back to take their first lead of the fifth at 10-9. Dancheva had a kill and a block down the stretch and the teams were knotted up at 13-13 before Sherbrooke found a way to score the final two points of the match and advance to the U SPORTS Semifinal stage.

 
QUOTABLE (WolfPack head coach Chad Grimm)

• "I thought we battled hard tonight. Maybe sometimes in key moments the execution and discipline wasn't quite there but it's hard when you haven't been in an environment like this. That being said we've been in tough matches all year and we gave ourselves a chance, but unfortunately couldn't close it."
• "This was one of those games where we were just trying to hang on longer than our opponents, because it wasn't smooth, but it was just trying to hold on until the end. Obviously we ran out to a pretty good lead in the fifth and then maybe got caught thinking too much about what may be to come. That's the key lesson to take way from this match, is in those key moments how do we manage our emotions and how can we return to our baseline of skills and do what we have trained to do."
• "Maria was efficient, she was a little tentative early but then got to it and the same with Rida. Part of what made them play well tonight is experience, they've been in these moments and have had success. The hope is that we can all take this experience, put a couple things in our toolkit for the next time we have this opportunity and get a little bit better."
• "It's tough to look at tomorrow after a matchup like that, but I think the point is that if we want to be in this situation again, we need to take some lessons from this tournament. So, the more opportunities we have to compete, the better it is for our group."

UP NEXT
The WolfPack will take on the Atlantic Champion Saint Mary's Huskies in a consolation semifinal tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, at noon inside the Langley Events Centre. That game can be watched live on CBC Gem or the CBC Sports YouTube channel.