LANGLEY, British Columbia – Fifth-year outside hitter
Kaden Schmidt (Mississauga, Ont.) finished with 28 kills on a TWU record-setting 76 attempts, to lead the Trinity Western Spartans to a 3-2 comeback win over the Manitoba Bisons Friday night at the Langley Events Centre. The Spartans saved two match points in the fourth set before winning 25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 28-26, 15-11 to open Canada West play at 1-0, while the Bisons fall to 0-1.
Second-year libero
Isaac Navarro (Surrey, B.C.) recorded a match-high 21 digs for the Spartans. Third-year setter
Willem Van Huizen (Langley, B.C.) finished with 27 assists, 13 digs, six kills, and three service aces, while fifth-year setter
Ben Pike (Abbotsford, B.C.) added 21 assists and seven digs. Third-year outside hitter
Zach Hofer (Langley, B.C.) contributed seven kills and six digs.
Wizdom Smith led Manitoba with 14 kills and 14 digs, while Benjamin Kuhner added 13 kills and seven digs. Jordon Heppner finished with seven kills, four blocks, and three aces while hitting .545, and Sammy Ludwig recorded 35 assists and eight digs.
QUOTABLE
Adam Schriemer, TWU Head Coach
"Really proud of our seniors tonight. Benny coming off the bench and Kaden, mentally, emotionally, we're very stable for us, where there were some guys that have started for the first time today that, felt the effects and the emotions of a really tough Canada West match and kind of rode those waves a little bit too much. I think the challenge is how we can be a little bit more mentally stable, so that we can be in a good headspace to execute our job, because we couldn't really do that tonight. ?A lot of the guys on the floor today, who are new to starting, couldn't execute their job for a longer period of time, but the challenge is that you become a starter in this league, just doing your job for longer. It's hard for us to find rhythm. When we are, that error-prone offensively. ?And that was kind of the story of the preseason, but I think we have to clean up quickly, because it could give our opponents that many points per set, it is really hard to win. So I think that's the upgrade for tomorrow."
On Kaden Schmidt's performance.
"He carried us. He carried us on the court with his scoring, but also emotionally and as a leader. I think that was honestly more impressive: how he kept everyone in the right headspace and locked in on their jobs. We know Kaden will be high volume, and tonight was spectacular. But what he did as a leader, just keeping guys in a good spot, was really impressive too."
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 5 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
AS IT HAPPENED
The opening set was tied 17-17 before TWU won four consecutive points, including back-to-back Van Huizen aces, to take a 21-17 lead. The Spartans maintained the advantage and finished the set on a Manitoba service error to win 25-21. TWU hit .258 with 12 kills, while Manitoba hit .227.
The Bisons opened the second set with a 3-0 lead and extended their advantage to 13-6. TWU pulled within four at 19-15, but Manitoba held on to win 25-20 and even the match. The Bisons hit .318 in the set, while the Spartans finished with nine kills and nine attack errors for a .000 hitting percentage.
The teams traded points through much of the third set before Manitoba moved ahead 24-20. TWU saved three set points, with a
Zack Yewchuk kill and a Van Huizen ace helping close the gap to 24-23, but a Spartan service error gave the Bisons a 25-23 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
TWU rallied from an 8-4 deficit in the fourth set, but Manitoba recovered to lead 23-21 and earned its first match point at 24-23. A Bisons service error kept the Spartans alive, and Schmidt's kill gave TWU a set point at 25-24. Manitoba won the next two rallies to earn another match point, but a Bisons attack error tied the set 26-26. Second-year middle
Aiden Vandenheuvel (Puslinch, Ont.) then delivered consecutive kills off Pike assists to give the Spartans a 28-26 win and force a fifth set.
The Spartans trailed 4-3 in the deciding set before winning three straight points to take a 6-4 lead. Schmidt had five kills in the fifth, including the point that put TWU up 8-6 at the change of sides. A Pike ace extended the lead to 11-7, and the Spartans closed out the 15-11 win on a Manitoba service error. TWU hit .294 with eight kills in the final set.
NOTABLE
- TWU hit .188, with 59 kills and 29 errors on 160 attempts, while Manitoba hit .221, with 46 kills and 16 errors on 136 attempts.
- TWU is now 33-23 all-time against Manitoba overall and 27-20 lifetime record against the Bisons in Canada West regular-season conference meetings.
- TWU finished with a 65-52 advantage in digs and a 7-6 edge in service aces. Manitoba led 9-4 in team blocks.
- Schmidt led all players with 28 points and added eight digs. His 76 attack attempts broke the previous TWU record of 62 attempts in conference play, a mark Schmidt set last January 23 in a 3-2 road win over the UBC Okanagan Heat.
- In his first start as a Spartan, Navarro was three digs shy of tying the TWU record, 24, for digs in a match, which was set by Jarrod Offereins ('10) against the Brandon Bobcats, a 3-2 win, on November 14, 2009.
- Van Huizen recorded a double-double with 27 assists and 13 digs, while Smith had 14 kills and 14 digs for Manitoba.
- The Spartans saved two Manitoba match points in the fourth set, at 24-23 and 26-25.
- The match was a rematch of the 2026 Canada West championship final, which TWU won 3-1 in Vancouver. The Spartans went on to win the U SPORTS championship.
- TWU was ranked first in the Canada West preseason coaches' poll and entered the regular season after going 7-1 in preseason play.
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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