KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Trinity Western took the No. 5-ranked Thompson Rivers WolfPack to five sets, but lost a back-and-forth contest 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 26-24, 18-25, 15-8) Friday at the Tournament Capital Centre. 

After dropping the third set, the Spartan battled back to force a fifth set with a decisive win in the fourth. However, the WolfPack jumped out to an early lead in the final set to secure the win and improve to 5-2 on the season. The Spartans, who entered the game unranked in the U SPORTS Top 10 for the first time in nearly seven years, dropped to 5-4. 

Maryn Boldon led the Spartans offensively with 13 kills, while Kaylee Plouffe had 12 kills and six blocks and Faye Murray had 11 kills and six blocks. Setter Sydney Gill guided the Spartans offence, collecting 34 assists. 

Brooklyn Olfert had a match-high 21 kills to lead TRU, while Rida Erlalelitepe had 18 kills. Hadley Schmidt had 35 assists for the WolfPack. 

TWU hit. 194 as a team, while TRU hit .239 including .471 in the fifth set. 

TWU had an 11-6 edge in blocks, but the WolfPack had a 12-6 advantage in aces. 

QUOTABLE
Brynden MacTavish, TWU Assistant Coach
"It was a classic Canada West battle tonight. I was encouraged by our upgrade in communication and compete levels from last weekend. We had lots of great contributions tonight. TRU were just a bit better in a few key moments. We're\ excited to get another opportunity tomorrow to finish the semester strong."

NOTABLE
•    The Spartans are 50-7 all-time against TRU. 
•    TWU and TRU played to five sets in the preseason as well, with the WolfPack edging the Spartans.
•    The last time TWU lost a regular season game against the WolfPack was Feb. 12, 2016.

UP NEXT
TWU and TRU will play the rematch Saturday at 4:45 p.m. (PT) at the Tournament Capital Centre.

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 and women's and men's disc golf. 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.  

-TW-