General 1/27/2020 5:39:00 PM

THIS WEEK IN SPARTA | MVB, WVB, MRUG, WRUG, MHKY, T&F, WBB, MBB

LANGLEY, B.C. – It's another busy week in Sparta, with volleyball returning to Langley, men's rugby making its home debut, women's rugby continuing the Canada West 7s tournament at UBC, men's hockey looking to build upon last weekend's win, basketball teams traveling to Brandon, and track and field teams splitting appearances between Seattle and Richmond.

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#1 MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (17-1)
Jan. 31 vs. Brandon (11-5) – Langley Events Centre | 8 p.m. (PT) WATCH
Feb. 1 vs. Brandon (11-5) – Langley Events Centre | 7 p.m. (PT) WATCH

NOTABLE

In a rematch of last season's U SPORTS national championship game, the Trinity Western men's volleyball team return home to face Brandon Friday and Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.
The Spartans will look to keep rolling after a pair of wins over cross-town rival UBC on the road last weekend (3-2, 3-0).
TWU has won 16 consecutive games, with their last loss in conference play coming Oct. 19, 2019 on the road against Alberta (3-2).
Brandon will be looking to halt a four-game losing streak after starting the season 11-1. They most recently lost to Calgary at home (3-0, 3-1).
TWU's Eric Loeppky enters the weekend just 30 kills back of Nicholas Del Bianco (2010-2014) for sole possession of third all-time in program kills. In last Friday's win, Loeppky broke the conference career aces record with his 147^th career ace.
TWU holds a 15-9 all-time record against Brandon in conference play.

#1 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL (18-2)
Jan. 31 vs. Brandon (4-14) – Langley Events Centre | 6 p.m. (PT) WATCH
Feb. 1 vs. Brandon (4-14) – Langley Events Centre | 5 p.m. (PT) WATCH

NOTABLE

The Spartans women's volleyball team returns home this weekend to host Brandon Friday and Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.
Riding a four-game win streak and fresh off a pair of wins over UBC, Trinity Western will look to continue its conference dominance as they sit first in Canada West (18-2).
The Bobcats will be looking to get back in the win column after a pair of home losses to Calgary last weekend (3-0, 3-1).
TWU's Hilary Howe (Calgary) leads the conference in kills (316), Avery Heppell (Langley) leads in hitting percentage (.346), and Mikaelyn Sych (Airdrie, Alta.) leads in blocks-per set (1.31).
Brandon has lost 10 consecutive conference games against TWU, with its last win over the Spartans coming Feb. 1, 2014 at home (3-0).

MEN'S RUGBY (3-1)
Jan. 31 vs. Western Washington University – Langley Events Centre, Northwest Field | 6 p.m. (PT)

NOTABLE

In the first official home game since re-launching the men's rugby program, the Trinity Western Spartans host Western Washington University at Langley Event Centre's Northwest Field.
TWU will look to keep rolling after picking up their second consecutive win last weekend, defeating the University of Oregon 41-19 on the road (Jan. 25). The win marked the Spartans sixth win over American programs since re-establishing the program.
TWU has already recorded one win against Western Washington this season, defeating the Vikings 22-10 in the final of the "Viking 10s" tournament (Oct. 6, 2019).
Spartans flyhalf Keegan Marengo (Edenvale, South Africa) will look to keep his hot start going, after scoring 21 points in last weekend's win. It was just Marengo's second game for TWU.
The Spartans men's 15s team is 3-1 this season, with wins coming against UBC Okanagan (Nov. 2), Washington (Jan. 18), and Oregon (Jan. 25).

AWAY

WOMEN'S RUGBY (1-4)
Feb. 1 vs. Lethbridge (10 pts) – Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre, Vancouver | 11:18 a.m. (PT)
Feb. 1 vs. Alberta (12 pts) – Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre, Vancouver | 1:18 p.m. (PT)
Feb. 1 vs. Fraser Valley (2 pts) – Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre, Vancouver | 3:36 p.m. (PT)
Feb. 2 vs. TBD – Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver | TBD

NOTABLE

Trinity Western's women's rugby team is set for just their second-ever tournament, as the Spartans travel to UBC as part of the Canada West Rugby 7s series.
It will be the second of three tournaments this season, with the third and final coming later this year in Victoria (Feb. 29 – Mar. 1).
The Spartans are coming off the first leg of the 7s series in Edmonton two weeks ago, headlined by a 28-19 win over Fraser Valley in the consolation semifinal (Jan. 19).
Michelle Veerman Quezada (White Rock, B.C.) and Sammi Thiessen (Abbotsford, B.C.) will look to lead the Spartans attack, as each picked up a pair of tries last series.
Canadian national sevens player Tausani Levale (Abbotsford) also headlines TWU's roster, having converted on five Spartans tries already this season.
The 2020 CW Women's Rugby 7s Series champion will be based on cumulative series points, with the champions officially crowned March 29^th in Victoria. Last year Victoria won its second straight conference title after defeating the host UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver, topping the overall series standings with 40 points (10-15-15)

MEN'S HOCKEY (13-1-0-1)
Jan. 31 at Victoria (5-11-0-1) – Ian Stewart Complex | 7:30 p.m. (PT) | WATCH
Feb. 1 at Vancouver Island (9-6-0-2) – Nanaimo Ice Centre | 7:15 p.m. (PT) | WATCH

NOTABLE

After returning to their winning ways last weekend at home and clinching a playoff berth, the Spartans men's hockey team hits the road for a pair of games against Victoria Friday (Jan. 31) and Vancouver Island Saturday (Feb. 1).
TWU sits atop the BCIHL standings at 13-1-0-1, five points clear of second-place Simon Fraser (10-5-0-2) and with two games in hand.
On Friday, the Spartans take on a last-place Victoria team that has picked up just one win over its last four games.
Saturday sees the Spartans face Vancouver Island in a rematch of last years' BCIHL championship series. Mariners forward Garrett Dunlop leads league scoring with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists).
Spartans forward Evan Last (Surrey, B.C.) meanwhile leads TWU in scoring and sits second in the BCIHL with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) through 15 games. A point this weekend would move him past former Clan forward Jaime Laprise (2007-11) for ninth all-time in league scoring.

After a week off, both the men's and women's track and field teams are back in action this weekend, splitting appearances at the University of Washington Invitational in Seattle and the Harry Jerome Indoor Meet in Richmond.
On the men's side, Praise Olatoke (Glasgow, Scotland), Ethan Foster (Langley), and Chris Weiss (West Vancouver, B.C.) will all look to build upon their early season success. Olatoke set a Spartans 60m record of 6.82s while Foster and Weiss finished 1-2 in the Heptathlon at the Golden Bear Open.
Fifth-year Nick Colyn (Langley) and first-year Josh Woolgar (Ladner, B.C.) are some athletes to watch in distance events. Woolgar had a personal best time of 8:37.73 in the 3000m at the Golden Bear Open, while Colyn will be returning to the Dempsey where ran a mile in 4:13.47 to finish 29^th overall two weeks ago.
On the women's side, Grace Konrad (Edmonton) will be back in action after winning the 300m competition in 39.11. The mark earned her automatic qualification in the U SPORTS championship and was the third fasted time in TWU history.
Mowa Adeleye (Calgary) is also looking to build upon a strong start to the season, after opening her 2020 season with a sixth overall finish in the 60m hurdles event two weeks ago at the Dempsey Indoor Centre.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (3-13)
Jan. 31 at Brandon (1-15) – Healthy Living Centre | 6 p.m. (CT) | WATCH
Feb. 1 at Brandon (1-15) – Healthy Living Centre | 5 p.m. (CT) | WATCH

NOTABLE

The Spartans women's basketball team travels to Brandon for their final road trip of the season Friday and Saturday at the Healthy Living Centre.
TWU most recently fell at home in a pair of games against Alberta and are looking to close out the latter stages of the regular season on a winning note. Brandon meanwhile has struggled this season, picking up just one win through 16 regular season matches.
Nicole Fransson (Edmonton) is looking to continue her strong season after picking up 22 points and 22 rebounds last weekend. Fransson sits just one double-double shy of tying Kayla Gordon (2017-18) and Holly Strom (2012-13) for the most in a single season at TWU (7).
The Spartans picked up a pair of home wins over Brandon in the teams' last meeting (Dec. 1-2, 2017), and have yet to lose to the Bobcats since game 1 of the 2017 Canada West Play-In Series (Feb. 16, 2017) in which TWU won in three games.

MEN'S BASKETBALL (2-14)
Jan. 31 at Brandon (3-13) – Healthy Living Centre | 8 p.m. (CT) | WATCH
Feb. 1 at Brandon (3-13) – Healthy Living Centre | 7 p.m. (CT) | WATCH

NOTABLE

The Spartans men's basketball team concludes its regular season road schedule against the Brandon Bobcats Friday and Saturday at the Healthy Living Centre.
TWU is still searching for its first win of the calendar year and face a Brandon squad that picked up just its second and third wins of the season last weekend.
The Spartans are averaging the fifth most points-per game this season (86.1), while the Bobcats rank 14^th (76.4).
Ethan DaSilva (Calgary) will be a player to watch for the Spartans, as the fifth-year guard averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists in two games against No. 4 ranked Alberta last week.
The Bobcats roster features a balanced attack, with Haashim Wallace (17.4), Anthony Tsegakele (16.3), Jaleel Webb (13.9) and Shun Williams (11.7) all averaging double-digits in points.

About TWU
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.

-TW-

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