CALGARY – In an epic preseason five-setter that was a rematch of last year's U SPORTS gold medal match, Trinity Western came out on top again – duplicating their national championship result – with a 3-2 (25-20, 25-23, 29-31, 17-25, 23-21) Friday in Blue Team Cup action at Mount Royal University's Kenyon Court.

The Spartans took the first two sets, but the Thunderbirds narrowly avoided a three-set sweep by winning an extended third set. After UBC won the fourth set, the Spartans eventually finished things off with a wild fifth set victory. 

TWU had four players in double digits for kills, with Zach Hofer and Willem Van Huizen earning 11 kills each and Nathan Howden-Duke and Zack Yewchuk nabbing 10 kills apiece. Setter Ben Pike had 39 assists. Libero Isaac Navarro had a team-high 15 digs.

Dawson Pratt had a team-high 12 kills for UBC while Nik Reimer had 11 kills. 

The Spartans, who played without both Kaden Schmidt and Pier de Greeff on Friday night, take on the host Mount Royal Saturday at 3 p.m. (MT) looking to capture the Blue Team Cup with a win.

TWU is 6-0 in the preseason and now 2-0, after a five-set win over UBC Okanagan on Thursday, against Canada West competition. 

QUOTABLE
Adam Schriemer, TWU Head Coach 
"It's been a really entertaining first couple of games of the Blue Team Cup. I think there were some moments today when we were really clean and then some moments when we were very sloppy. So I think our challenge is playing better for longer. I think what's cool about preseason is seeing players growing into bigger roles and seeing players work through situations where we're asking more of them. I thought our middles were great. Zack Yewchuk had another amazing performance and Nathan Howden-Duke was great, especially in the fifth set when we relied on him a lot offensively. It's cool to see how Isaac Navarro has settled into our libero. There are lots of things we can upgrade, but there are a lot of things that we're happy with as well."

UP NEXT
The Spartans will play the final match of the Blue Team Cup Saturday (3pm MT / 2pm PT) against Mount Royal. 
 
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 15 U SPORTS team championships and 35 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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