HAMILTON, Ont. – No. 1-ranked Trinity Western dropped a 3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 16-25, 25-23) decision against No. 4 McMaster Saturday at Burridge Gymnasium. 

After dropping the first two sets against the Marauders for the second night in a row, the Spartans responded by winning the third set by the same score as Friday. However, on Saturday, McMaster bounced back to take the match in four.  

The contest saw TWU play a large swath of youngsters, with the Spartans finishing their stay in Ontario with a 4-2 overall record, including three wins against NCAA competition in the Can Am Volleyball Holiday Showcase and a victory over Brock. 

TWU is now 20-4 overall this season.

The Spartans will return home to prepare to host Mount Royal Jan. 10 (4 p.m.) and Jan. 11 (1 p.m.).

QUOTABLE
Ben Ball – TWU Assistant Coach
"Tonight had a much better feel than last night. We got some more of our young guys the chance to play in an intense match against a strong opponent. We were really happy with how our team competed and how they talked on the court. They were really intentional in what they were doing. The big takeaway from this weekend is that we really got exposed on our general volleyball skills and consistently executing those skills. We now want to get into the gym and work on that long list of things that we need to get better at. The guys are excited to get back to work and improve and get ready for Mount Royal."

NOTABLE
•    It's been almost a calendar year since TWU lost back-to-back games, as they dropped both matches on the road last year against Brandon (Jan. 4-5, 2019), in what was a preview of the Canada West and U SPORTS championship matches. The Bobcats went on to win the conference title before TWU won the national title.
•    TWU head coach Ben Josephson is not with the team, as he is currently coaching with Canada's senior women's team, as the team prepares for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament.  
•    The Spartans are coming off winning three straight games at the Can Am Volleyball Holiday Showcase, beating No. 2-ranked UCLA, No. 4 Long Beach State and No. 6 Lewis.
•    TWU has knocked off McMaster in each of the last five U SPORTS championship tournaments, beating the Marauders in the quarter-finals in 2019, in the semifinals in 2015, 2017 and 2018, and in the final in 2016.

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-