WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014
TRINITY WESTERN (3) UBC OKANAGAN (0)
(25-9, 25-18, 25-23)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NO. 5 SPARTANS KNOCK OFF NO. 4 UBCO IN THREE

LANGLEY, British Columbia – The No. 5 Trinity Western women's volleyball team got off to a quick start and continued to roll throughout the contest as the Spartans beat No. 4 UBC Okanagan 3-0 (25-9, 25-18, 25-23) Friday at the Langley Events Centre.

The Spartans took the first two sets in convincing fashion and then battled back from a late four-point deficit in the third set to wrap up the match in the minimum. Trailing 21-17 in the third set, TWU finished the set on an 8-2 run, capped by Sophie Carpentier's (Ottawa) 13th kill of the night, to take the set and the match.

With the win, TWU improves to 11-4 on the season and has now won six matches in a row. The Heat, who entered the night tied with the Spartans for third in Canada West, fell to 10-5.

The Heat struggled through the first two sets but found its rhythm in the third set to make it a game. After hitting -.155 over the first two sets, the Heat hit .226 in the third but it wasn't enough against a Spartans team that had its serve and block game working from the outset of the match. 

Trinity Western collected nine aces while UBCO only had one and the Spartans also out-blocked the Heat 10-7. 

The Spartans were led by Carpentier who had five aces to go with her 13 kills. 

"Sophie just takes such a load for us," said Spartans coach Ryan Hofer. "She takes a high volume and she does a good job of managing it and putting a lot of teams in trouble." 

TWU's Alicia Perrin (Creston, B.C.) had a match-high nine blocks as well as four kills while Royal Richardson (Rocky Mountain House, Alta.) had seven kills and seven digs. Libero Kristen Moncks (Standard, Alta.) had a match-high 12 digs and setter Lauren Moncks (Standard) had 22 assists and three blocks.

UBCO was led by Katie Wuttunee, who had five kills and three blocks. Katy Klomps added four kills and four blocks and Kaitlynn Given had four kills and two blocks. Setter Chandler Proach replaced starter Emily Oxland midway through the second set and went on to collect 12 assists.

"I think we do what we do with our blocking and I thought we attacked certain spots well," Hofer said. "We found our rhythm and I thought we served particularly well. We had a number of good efforts tonight. Royal was passing well. Casie (Gano, Sundre, Alta.) had another good night and Kristen dug up a storm again tonight."

The Spartans got off to a quick start and after a block from Richardson and Perrin, took an early 5-1 lead in the first set. From there, TWU never allowed UBCO any momentum. At 10-5, the Heat was forced to use its second timeout of the set but, out of the break, the SpartansLauren Moncks earned an ace and the home side rolled. With a kill from Carly Hamilton (Calgary), TWU finished the set in decisive fashion, ahead 25-9.

Turning the tides early, the Heat raced out to a 5-0 lead to start the second set. But with UBCO up 8-4, the Spartans, with Lauren Moncksputting on an impressive show from the serving line, responded with a 6-0 run that gave TWU a 10-8 lead. After the Heat made it 10-9, TWU took off on an 8-1 run – one that included four aces from Carpentier – to put the game out of reach at 18-10. A Carpentier kill gave TWU the set 25-18.

In the third set, the Spartans looked to be in control as they took a 9-6 lead after a Carpentier kill. However the Heat didn't go away quietly and with a block took the lead at 14-13. Another UBCO block put the visitors ahead 17-14 before the Heat eventually extended its lead to four points at 21-17. But a kill from Perrin followed by a block from Perrin sparked TWU. The Spartans knotted the set 22-22 and then another Perrin block gave the Spartans a 23-22 edge. An ace from Richardson gave TWU a shot at match point and after a UBCO block, Carpentier finished the night with the winning kill.

"They were figuring things out in the end and were finding their groove in that third set and I think we kind of squeaked it out," Hofer said. "Had they pulled that one out, it could have been a long night."

The Spartans and Heat meet in the rematch Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre.

Game Notes: TWU hit .170 as a team compared to UBCO, who hit -.022…TWU had 38 digs to UBCO's 31.

-TW-