LANGLEY, B.C. – The Trinity Western Spartans took Game 1 of the Canada West quarter-finals with a 3-1 (25-16, 25-12, 23-25, 25-17) win over Winnipeg Thursday at the Langley Events Centre.
 
Hilary Howe (Calgary) had 17 kills, three service aces and 14 digs for the defending conference champion Spartans, while Ansah Odoom (Surrey, B.C.) added nine kills while hitting .412. Dora Komlodi (Calgary) also contributed four service aces and a game-high 33 assists for the home side. 
 
The Wesmen attack was led by Emma Parker, who had 17 kills while hitting .267. Parker, Kalena Schulz, and Haille Bujan each added two aces for Winnipeg.
 
The Spartans took the first two points and opening eight of 10 in the first set to take an 8-2 lead. Despite the Wesmen taking a timeout and crawling back within the game, TWU maintained its lead throughout the entirety of the set to win it 25-16. Spartans outside Howe hit.750 and contributed three kills, while Komlodi and Mikaelyn Sych (Airdrie, Alta.) each had two service aces.
 
Winnipeg once again trailed 2-0 to open the second set, as the Spartans started as dominantly as they did in the first to take a 19-9 lead. TWU would take six of the final nine points to take the second set 25-12. Avery Heppell (Langley) and Howe each contributed three more kills for TWU, while Winnipeg's Parker brought her total up to six in the match.
 
Determined to keep the match going, Winnipeg came charging out to a 15-10 lead in the third set. The Spartans would then go on an 11-7 run to charge back into the set, but Winnipeg would hold on to take it 25-23 following a Spartans service error. Emma Gamache (Langley) had eight third set digs for TWU, while Parker added another seven kills for the Wesmen.
 
After TWU opened the fourth set with a 7-1 lead, Winnipeg struck back by scoring eight of 12 points to climb back to within two. The Spartans however would regain their form to take the fourth set 25-17 and win Game 1 on home court.
 
The Spartans hit .324 (48-15-102) compared to Winnipeg's .085 (31-21-118).
 
QUOTABLE
Ryan Hofer – TWU Head Coach
 
"We sided out really well tonight, our attacking was efficient, and we dug really well, too. As much as we did some things well, I know we can hit our serves better in this gym and I think we're going to see that tomorrow. 
 
"Into the third set everyone saw what Winnipeg is really capable of, which is playing a bit scrappier and putting pressure on us offensively. I didn't think we responded well to that until closer to the end of the match."
 
NOTABLE

• TWU concluded the season atop the conference standings with their best record ever at 22-2. Combined with the regular season, the Spartans have now won nine consecutive games.  
• Winnipeg finished eighth in the conference at 9-15.
• The Spartans improve to 35-9 all-time against the Wesmen, having now won 32 games in a row overall (regular season and playoffs combined).
• TWU won both games in its last matchup against Winnipeg, a pair of straight sets wins during the Spartans home opening weekend (Oct. 25-26).  

 
NEXT UP
The Spartans will look for the series sweep Friday as they take on the Wesmen at 6 p.m. (PT) in Game 2 of the conference quarter-finals at the Langley Events Centre. If necessary, Game 3 is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT) Saturday.

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-