Box Score EDMONTON – The Trinity Western Spartans rallied and held on for a five-set victory over the MacEwan Griffins Saturday afternoon at the Christenson Family Centre in Edmonton, Alta. The 17-25, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 15-9 win improves the Spartans to 2-0, while the loss drops the Griffins to 0-2.
Third-year outside
Maryn Boldon (Okotoks, Alta.) with 19 kills, two aces, and two blocks, fourth-year middle
Kaylee Plouffe (Sherwood Park, Alta.) with 14 kills, seven digs, and two blocks, and third-year outside
Faye Murray (Rosenort, Man.) with 10 kills, and two blocks led the Spartans, while Alyshia Bryks with 16 kills, and five digs, Arden Butler with 12 kills, and 11 digs, and Kara Frith with 10 kills, two aces, and three blocks led the Griffins.
Third-year setter
Sydney Gill (St. Catherines, Ont.) led the Spartans attack with 36 set assists, while Payton Shimoda led the Griffins with 46 assists.
QUOTABLE
Brynden McTavish, TWU Assistant Coach
"Tonight was a great example of how hard and competitive Canada West is. I thought MacEwan was very well-prepared tonight and pushed us defensively. Maryn and Kaylee carried a heavy load for us all game, and we had to get strong contributions from many players off the bench. I'm excited to take lessons from this weekend into our home opener next week."
UP NEXT
The Spartans will return to Langley, B.C. for their Canada West home opener against the Brandon Bobcats. Match times on Friday, October 25, and Saturday, October 26 are set for 5 p.m. (PT), and 4 p.m. (PT) respectively.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Griffins came out strong to start the match and took the opening set 25-17. Leading 4-3 the Griffins went on a 12-2 run to take a 16-5 lead and never looked back. TWU hit at .000 (10-10-30) in the opening set, while MacEwan hit at .286 (10-4-21).
The Spartans were the better team to start the second set and quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead. The Griffins slowly clawed their way back into the set to trail 16-13. TWU led 21-17, but MacEwan blocked their way back to tie the set at 21-21. The Spartans withstood the Griffins rally to take the second set 25-22 and even the match at 1-1. TWU hit at .355 (15-4-31), while MacEwan hit at .222 (15-7-36).
The teams were even early and were tied at 6-6 when TWU used a 5-0 run to take a 11-6 lead. But MacEwan responded to cut the lead to two points, 11-9 and force the Spartans into a timeout. The Spartans regained control to take a 16-10 lead heading into the second half of the set. TWU continued to roll, taking a 20-12 lead before taking the second set 25-19 to take a 2-1 set lead. TWU hit at .321 (12-3-28), while MacEwan hit at .219 (13-6-32).
MacEwan was solid to start the fourth set taking an early 4-0 lead. The Spartans slowly cut into the lead and eventually tied the set at 14-14. The Griffins regained their lead to go up 18-15. The Griffins carried their momentum into the final points to take the fourth set 25-20 and tie the match at 2-2. TWU hit at .172 (10-5-29), while MacEwan hit at .429 (14-2-28).
The Spartans dominated the short fifth set. Leading 4-2 TWU outscored MacEwan 6-2 to take a 10-4 lead. The Griffins were unable to recover as the Spartans took the set 15-9, and the match 3-2. TWU hit at .217 (9-4-23) in the final set, while MacEwan hit at .000 (3-3-17).
NOTABLE
• The Spartans finished the night hitting at .213 (56-26-141), while the Griffins hit at .246 (55-22-134).
• TWU had an 11-7 edge in service aces, both teams finished with 49 digs.
• The Spartans also had the lead in blocks at 8-5.
• Trinity Western was ranked No. 4 in the Canada West preseason coaching poll, while MacEwan was ranked No. 12.
• The Spartans defeated the Griffins 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-14) Friday night in Edmonton.
• TWU finishes preseason non-conference play at 3-2, while MacEwan finishes their preseason at 3-6.
• The Spartans are currently 16-2 lifetime against the Griffins. The last time TWU lost to MacEwan was a weekend series sweep by the Griffins on February 8-9, 2019.
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 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
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.
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