SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Canada, who is represented by Trinity Western University's men's volleyball team, defeated Suriname in straight-sets 3-0 (25-7, 30-28, 25-20) to open the Pan-American Cup at Ricardo Arias Pavilion Friday.
The match marked a return to the competition court for the Spartans for the first time in nearly 18 months. The last time TWU had played together in a competition as a team was Mar. 7, 2020, when the Spartans won the Canada West championship on home court.
As the defending Canada West and U SPORTS champions, TWU was asked to represent Canada at this year's Pan-American Cup.
After the tournament, the Spartans men's volleyball team will return to Trinity Western to begin their local preseason games in preparation for their season opener on Nov. 5.
AS IT HAPPENED
After Canada (TWU) earned a one-sided first set win, Suriname recovered to play a close match the rest of the way. The stronger serves of the Canadians proved to be a difference-maker, as Canada had an 11-4 edge in aces.
Jackson Howe (Calgary) led Canada with 16 points, including four blocks, while
Jordan Schnitzer (Surrey, B.C.) added 11 points, with four aces. Zefanio Breinburg topped Suriname with 12 tallies.
QUOTABLE
Canada (TWU) Head Coach Ben Josephson
"We won the first set pretty easy, but after that it got way better. We had to work really hard in transition and scramble and they cranked up their serving pressure and our reception go in in a bit of trouble. The second set was deuce-set for a long time and it was great to get into one of those sets early in the tournament and still find a way to finish. The third set was more of the same. They hung tight and they were right there, but we were able to separate late. I thought
Jackson Howe and
Jordan Schnitzer were fantastic in the middle. We featured those guys in our offensive plan and they were awesome. I thought
Isaiah Olfert (Winnipeg) had a great third set, which is what we needed.
"The highlight of the match was to watch Warden (
Derek Epp, Saskatoon) play volleyball again. It's been a long time and it was so fun to watch him operate."
Schedule
Sept. 3 - Canada (3) Suriname (0)
Sept. 4 – Canada vs. Mexico – 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
Sept. 5 – Canada vs. Puerto Rico – 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
Sept. 6 – Canada vs. Dominican Republic – 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
Sept. 7 – Canada vs. United States – 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
Sept. 8 – Semifinals
Sept. 9 – Gold and Bronze Medal Matches
Roster
Colton Loewen – Aldergrove, B.C.
Jackson Corneil – Surrey, B.C.
Isaiah Olfert – Winnipeg, Man.
Brodie Hofer – Langley, B.C.
Jackson Howe – Calgary, Alta.
Aaron Elser – Calgary, Alta.
Jesse Elser – Calgary, Alta.
Jordan Schnitzer – Surrey, B.C.
Liam Remple – Vernon, B.C.
Adam Schriemer – Winnipeg, Man.
Derek Epp – Saskatoon, Sask.
Kaden Schmidt – Mississauga, Ont.
Staff
Head Coach –
Ben Josephson
Assistant Coach –
Ben Ball
2nd Assistant Coach –
Jordan Or
Doctor – Abe Avender
Physiotherapist –
Nick Del Bianco
Statistician –
Anselm Rein
Team Lead –
Joel Jansen
Team Manager –
Linden Bontkes
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.
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