KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Trinity Western dropped the final game of the fall semester against No. 5-ranked Thompson Rivers, losing 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 27-25) Saturday at the Tournament Capital Centre.
A day after a five-set loss to TRU, the Spartans once again pushed the highly-ranked WolfPack but were unable to force a fifth set. Trailing 24-22 in the fifth set, the Spartans rallied to equalize twice, at 24-24 and 25-25, but a match-winning ace eventually sealed the win for TRU.
For the second night in a row,
Maryn Boldon led the Spartans with 13 kills, while
Kaylee Plouffe continued to dominate from the middle, earning 12 kills while hitting . 455 and adding two blocks. TWU's
Isabella Stothart had a match-high six blocks along with five kills. First-year
Tayana Dmitruk guided the TWU offence with 30 assists and 19 digs.
TRU was led by Rida Erlalelitepe, who had 17 kills and 11 digs, and Brooklyn Olfert, who had eight kills and four blocks.
TWU hit .085, while TRU hit .193. TRU had a 9-4 edge in aces and a 10-8 advantage in blocks.
After TWU hit -.062 in the first set, the second set was a stark turnaround as the visiting Spartans hit .393 with 14 kills. However, the WolfPack slowed the TWU attack the rest of the nigth, holding the Spartans to a .029 hitting percentage over the last two sets. TRU hit .200 and .105 in the third and fourth sets, respectively.
QUOTABLE
Brynden MacTavish, TWU Assistant Coach
"Props to a TRU team that didn't shy away when down this weekend. Nothing was given easy. This weekend, we learned a lot of lessons for us as a learn. Now, as we head into the break, we need to apply those lessons so we can take that step forward and play the way that we know we are capable of."
NOTABLE
• After starting the season 4-0, the Spartans enter the break having dropped five of their last six matches.
• Four of TWU's five losses have come against teams ranked in the top five in country, having dropped games against No. 1 UBC and No. 5 TRU.
• The Spartans are 50-8 all-time against TRU.
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.
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