LANGLEY, British Columbia – The No. 2 Trinity Western University did not have one of their most efficient evenings, but their experience paid off in the final set points as TWU defeated the Mount Royal Cougars 3-0 Friday night at the Langley Events Centre in Langley B.C. 

The 25-19, 25-20, 25-20 win extends the Spartans winning streak to 23 matches and puts them at 11-0 in Canada West conference play this season, while the loss drops the Cougars to 5-6 in league play. 

"We were not crazy sharp tonight, but credit to Mount Royal they did a great job. They are a well-coached team. They are hitting high and hard and we have to figure out a way to get our block hands on the ball," commented TWU head coach Ryan Hofer. "It was nice to see us buckle down at key points. We are fortunate that we have a lot of players with a lot of experience on the floor. They know what it takes at important times. They know how to deal with their thoughts and they know what to do to get it done." 

Fourth year outside Eli Wendel (Caronport, Sask.) with 10 kills and nine digs, fourth year outside Sophie Carpentier (Ottawa) with eight kills, nine digs and four blocks, third year middle Katelyn Devaney (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) with eight kills and four blocks, and third year outside Chelsea Tancon with seven kills and five digs led the Spartans. While Julia Kryzan with eight kills, Carolina Alongi with six kills and 13 digs, and Kylie Willis with five kills and 10 digs led the Cougars. 

TWU third year setter Nikki Cornwall with 36 set assists led the Spartans attack, while the Cougars Jenna Smith led MRU with 20 set assists. TWU's Mariel Garcia (Winnipeg) led all players with 16 digs.

"Mariel did an amazing job at passing for us tonight and getting us in a good position to attack" commented Hofer on play of his fifth year Libero. 

All three sets were tight through the 16 point promotional timeout. TWU led 16-14 in the first set, 16-15 in the second set and 16-13 in the third set. But in each of the sets the defending national champions outscored the Cougars over the final points – 9-5 in set one, 9-5 in the second set and 9-7 in the third set – to take the match in straight sets. 

The two teams will play again Saturday night. Match time at the Langley Events Centre is set for 5 p.m. PST. The game will be streamed live on Canadawest.tv. The match will be the final contest of the fall for both teams. 

Match Notes: TWU finished hitting at 27.2 percent, while MRU finished at 19.4 percent…the Spartans had the edge in team blocks at 10.5-to-6… TWU is 33-3 in sets won over sets lost this season…

-TW-