LANGLEY, British Columbia – Fifth-year outside hitter
Maryn Boldon (Okotoks, Alta.) finished with 11 kills, three service aces, and eight digs to lead the Trinity Western Spartans to a 3-0 win over the Manitoba Bisons Friday night at the Langley Events Centre. The Spartans' 25-14, 25-14, 26-24 win puts TWU at 1-0, while the Bisons fall to 0-1 to open Canada West play.
Third-year outside hitter
Sienna Driedger (Grunthal, Man.) added nine kills and two aces while hitting .350, and third-year middle
Isabella Stothart (Airdrie, Alta.) finished with eight kills and just one error on 11 attempts for a .636 hitting percentage. Second-year setter
Tayana Dmitruk (Surrey, B.C.) recorded 22 assists, seven digs, and two aces, while fourth-year libero
Sofia Rader (Lynden, Wash.) matched Boldon with eight digs.
Lucy Jorgensen led the Bisons with seven kills while hitting .333. Julia Martens finished with 11 assists, a match-high 10 digs, and three aces, while Bethany Carter added eight digs and Aviendah Plett recorded three blocks.
QUOTABLE
Ryan Hofer, TWU Head Coach
"I really liked how clean we played in the first couple of sets; we really made Manitoba play the ball, and then we kind of just went away from that, for whatever reason. ?We weren't as clean to start the third set. Then we just polished that up, and as soon as we cleaned that up, things started to fall into place. It was side-out volleyball, and really good volleyball all night. ?Really proud of how the girls came prepared and how they executed."
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Bisons will complete their weekend series on Saturday, October 24, at the Langley Events Centre. Match time is set for 3 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans opened with a 3-0 lead, but three consecutive Martens aces helped Manitoba move ahead 7-5 in the first set. TWU responded with four straight points to regain the lead, then used a five-point run on Boldon's serve, including two aces, to go up 14-8. The Spartans closed the set with five consecutive points, capped by a Stothart kill, to win 25-14. TWU hit .393 with 12 kills and one error, while Manitoba hit -.038.
The second set was tied 9-9 before TWU won six straight points, with Driedger serving for five of them, to take a 15-9 lead. Second-year outside hitter
Claire Pakulak (Surrey, B.C.) added two aces during a four-point serving run that stretched the Spartans' advantage to 20-11. A Driedger kill finished another 25-14 set as TWU took a 2-0 lead. The Spartans hit .043 in the set, while the Bisons hit -.100.
Manitoba built a 7-3 lead in the third set before TWU rallied to move ahead 10-9. The Bisons regained the advantage and led 19-16 when the Spartans called a timeout. TWU worked its way back, with consecutive Driedger kills tying the set 21-21 before an ace from third-year outside hitter
Paisley Dickie (Surrey, B.C.) put the Spartans ahead. TWU earned two match points at 24-22, but Manitoba won the next two rallies to pull even. Boldon's 11th kill gave the Spartans another match point, and a Bisons attack error sealed the 26-24 win. Driedger had seven of TWU's 17 kills in the final set.
NOTABLE
- TWU finished with a .244 hitting percentage, with 35 kills and 13 errors on 90 attempts. Manitoba hit .000, with 20 kills and 20 errors on 82 attempts.
- TWU finished with a 10-6 advantage in service aces and a 35-28 edge in digs. Manitoba led 4-1 in blocks.
- Boldon led all players with 14 points, while Driedger finished with 11.
- The Spartans were ranked fourth in the Canada West preseason coaches' poll, while the Bisons were ranked sixth.
- TWU is now 29-27 all-time against Manitoba, including a 24-23 record in conference play.
- The win ended Manitoba's four-match winning streak in conference meetings between the teams. The Bisons won both matches in Winnipeg in January 2024 and January 2025; the teams did not meet in conference play last season.
- TWU won all four of its preseason matches, including victories over Fraser Valley, Western, and Winnipeg at the West Coast Classic October 2-4 at the Langley Events 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 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 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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