WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Fourth-year outside hitter Maryn Boldon (Okotoks, Alta.) finished Friday night's match with a historic 26 kills to lead the Trinity Western Spartans to a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Wesmen at the Duckworth Centre in Winnipeg, Man. The 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 15-25, 15-11 win improves the Spartans to 3-0 in Canada West play, while dropping the Wesmen to 1-2.
 
Boldon's 26 kills are a TWU best and the most since Sophie Carpentier's 25 in 2016. Bolden added 11 digs and one block, while fifth-year middle Kaylee Plouffe (Sherwood Park, Alta.) added 16 kills, eight digs, and three blocks for the Spartans. Megan Kendziora with 16 kills, 10 digs, two blocks, and one ace, and Brooke Duncalfe with 15 kills, 15 digs, two aces, and one block led the Wesmen.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Wesmen will finish the two-game series tomorrow night at the Duckworth Centre in Winnipeg, Man. The game is set to start at 6:45 p.m. (CT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
 
QUOTABLE
Ryan Hofer, TWU Head Coach
"A hard-fought game tonight. Really proud of our team for how they battled and just kept finding different ways to score. Winnipeg is a very good defensive team, and they did not make it easy for us. Both defensively and offensively, it was a really solid night for us."
 
"Kaylee and Maryn again took some heavy volume for us. Maryn just kept going out there and found different ways to score, using her tool bag. Super proud of her just for what she did and how she did it, and really just seeing her develop and find new ways to score. Full props to the hard work that Maryn puts in in all aspects of the game."
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The match was a back-and-forth contest. The Spartans took the opening set 25-23, and the Wesmen responded with their own 25-23 win in the second to even the match at 1-1. The Spartans took a 2-1 set lead with a solid third setting hitting at .343 (16-4-35), to the Wesmen's .184 (13-6-38) to take the third set 25-20. But Winnipeg had their best set of the match, hitting .409 (12-3-22) to TWU's .167 (10-6-24) to even the match at 2-2 with a 25-15 win. TWU secured the five-set win with a 15-11 victory in the fifth set, hitting at .348 (10-2-23), to Winnipeg's .148 (7-3-27).
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans finished the night hitting at .228 (63-24-171), while the Wesmen finished at .218 (56-20-165).
• TWU had the edge in blocks 11-8 and digs 75-70, while Winnipeg had the edge in service aces 6-5.
• The previous TWU kill record was 25, which was held by Kara Jansen Van Doorn (2x) and most recently by Sophie Carpentier, February 12, 2016, at Thompson Rivers.
• The Spartans are currently on a 38-match winning streak against the Wesmen. TWU's last loss to Winnipeg was 3-2 on November 13, 2004, in Winnipeg, Man.
• The Spartans are now 41-9 lifetime against the Wesmen.
• TWU's first-ever Canada West win, 3-0, came against Winnipeg on February 2, 2001. Before winning, the Spartans had lost 42 straight matches in their first two season of Canada West conference play.
• Before last week's bye week, the Spartans swept the Fraser Valley Cascades 3-0 and 3-0.
• Last week, the Wesmen split with the Regina Cougars in Regina, Sask., losing 3-2 and winning 3-0.

 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and 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 33 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 U 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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