SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Team Canada, represented by Trinity Western's men's volleyball team, won their fourth game in a row at the Pan-American Cup in Monday's 3-1 victory over the Dominican Republic. Canada is undefeated, hosting a 4-0 record heading into their final round-robin match against the USA on Tuesday.
 
Brodie Hofer (Langley, B.C.) and Jesse Elser (Calgary) played a strong game on the attacking end, earning game-highs in scoring with 21 and 17 points for Canada. Jackson Howe (Calgary) and Jordan Schnitzer (Surrey, B.C.) chipped in with three blocks each en route to Canada's victory.

The Spartans have now earned wins over Suriname, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Domican Republic with their final round-robin match to be played against the USA (Sept. 7)

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 dropping the first set to the Dominican Republic, Canada roared back to sweep the remaining sets. With 11 points earned on serves, the Spartans were able to consistently force the Dominicans into tough spots. All seven starters contributed to outscore the Dominican Republic in every stat category to cap off another dominant showing for Canada. Most notably, the Canadians dominated offensively, trouncing the Dominicans 50-30 in attacks.

QUOTABLE
Canada Head Coach Ben Josephson
"It's always fun playing the home team in a loud gym. We love competing in settings with a lot of crowd energy, so it was an entertaining match for our team today. We made a lot of errors in the first set, most likely due to the intimidating nature of the game and opposition. The Dominican Republic didn't give us any openings as we tried to match their physicality. They were bigger than us, so we needed to adapt with smarts, speed, and skill to find our points.

"Brodie Hofer had a massive kill to close the second set. After that, our servers went on big runs, our passing was strong, and our sets were crisp. We went on a big run after that.

"Our team really impressed me today. We stepped up to the plate under pressure, learning from our mistakes along the way, and came through in a big way. Isaiah Olfert played the best game of his university career. He was fantastic in all phases of the game, contributing in nearly every way possible."

Schedule
Sept. 3 - Canada (3) Suriname (0) 
Sept. 4 – Canada (3) Mexico (1)
Sept. 5 – Canada (3) Puerto Rico (1)
Sept. 6 – Canada (3) vs. Dominican Republic (1)
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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