LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans are heading to their 12th straight Canada West final after a dominating 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Wesmen Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The 25-23, 25-18, 25-19 win gives the Spartans the best-of-three series 2-1 and also sends the Spartans to their 13th straight U SPORTS championships. Winnipeg will now face the UBC Thunderbirds next weekend for the Canada West Bronze medal and a spot at the U SPORTS championship at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.
Trinity Western will again face the Alberta Golden Bears in the Canada West championship match in Edmonton, Alta. This will be the fourth straight season that the Bears and Spartans have played in the Canada West final.
Fourth-year outside Henry Rempel (Swift Current, Sask.) with 14 kills, six digs, and three aces, second-year outside Kaden Schmidt (Mississauga, Ont.) with 10 kills, and two digs, and third-year middle Cory Schoenherr (Waterloo, Ont.) with four kills at 100 percent, six blocks, and two digs led the Spartans. Jaxon Rose with 10 kills, seven digs, and two blocks, and Isaiah Olfert with 10 kills, two blocks, two digs, and one ace led the Wesmen.
Second-year setter Anselm Rein (Erfurt, Germany) led the Spartans with 32 assists, while Alex Krykewich led the Wesmen with 17 assists.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans had their best start of the three games and jumped out to 7-4 and a 16-10 lead after an Aaron Elser (third-year, Calgary, Alta.) kill. After the point, the Wesmen gathered momentum and closed to one point, 19-18, after a kill by Jaxon Rose. TWU’s Rempel regained a three-point lead for the Spartans, 21-18. Olfert got the Wesmen back to within one point, 21-20. The teams exchanged points to 23-22. Rempel got TWU to set points at 24-22. Winnipeg’s Nielsen held off the Spartans on the next play, but TWU’s Rempel ended the set on the next play to give the Spartans a 25-23 win and a 1-0 win for the first time in the series. TWU hit at .269 (13-6-26), while Winnipeg hit at .300 (13-4-30). The Wesmen had a 6-1 edge in blocks, while the Spartans had a 2-1 edge in service aces.
TWU had another quality start to the second game taking a quick 8-5 lead. After a Rempel kill and an attack error by Winnipeg’s Nielsen the Spartans had built their lead to six points, 16-10. The Wesmen’s Liam Kristjanson was able to close the gap to four points, 22-18. But three straight points by the Spartans gave TWU the second set 25-18 and a 2-0 set lead. The Spartans hit an impressive .524 (13-2-21), while the Wesmen hit at .333 (13-4-27). TWU had a 2-1 edge in blocks, and a 3-0 edge in aces.
The Spartans came out fast in the third set and quickly took control. Behind the early serving of third-year middle Jackson Corneil (Surrey, B.C.), with six straight serves, and the blocking and attacking of Schoenherr TWU jumped out to 8-3 and 16-10 leads. Winnipeg never found a way to close the gap. The Spartans Rempel gave TWU six match points at 24-18. Winnipeg got one back before a Wesmen service error ended the set and the match with TWU winning 25-19.
QUOTABLE TWU Head Coach Adam Schriemer
“I liked how stable we were in every phase of the game. I thought it was the right amount of service pressure, we were really clean offensively, especially after the first set. Their block gave us some challenges at the start, but once we got a handle on their block we were really clean offensively. I was really happy with our block D and our execution of our plan. I thought Cory was incredible, the way he got the read on their middles and the way he was able to speed close and trap their left sides was huge. Then Anselm was just stable he was a steady force for us and that allowed Henry to get going which is huge.”
On going to their 12th straight Canada West championship.
“Before the game, we were talking with the guys about the opportunity that we have tonight, and how when you watched us play when you were a kid you watched us play games like this and you wanted to come to our program to playing games like tonight. We wanted to make sure that we saw just how great of an opportunity it was. I think the guys were able to just kind of relax and play free because they were excited to play in a game like this. I’m happy that we are in the opportunity to go play in the Canada West championship again. I’m super proud of the guys, it was an up-and-down year but the fact we are back in the conference championship super exciting.”
The Spartans finished the night hitting at .356 (38-12-73), while the Wesmen finished at .356 (36-15-85).
Winnipeg finished with a 10-8 edge in blocking, while TWU had a 6-1 edge in service aces.
Last night the Wesmen won 3-0 over the Spartans (28-26, 25-15,25-19).
Thursday night the Spartans defeated the Wesmen 3-1 (22-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-17).
If TWU wins it will be their 12 straight Canada West championship final.
Winnipeg’s last time in the CW final was 2001-02 season. Losing 2-0 in best of 3 to Manitoba.
Winnipeg’s last conference title was the GPAC in 1999-2000. 2-0 over Manitoba. They finished third at the national championship. 1999-2000 was TWU’s first year in Canada West.
Winnipeg’s last U SPORTS championship appearance was 2008-2009 season (No. 4 out of CW).
Winnipeg earned silver at 2008 U SPORTS Championship losing to Alberta 3-1 in final at Laval.
Winnipeg last won the U SPORTS championship in 2006-07 season. Number three out of CW. TWU was third in U SPORTS.
TWU’s last U SPORTS championship was last year, 2022-23.
TWU’s last CW championship was, 2021-22.
TWU is 34-4 at home against Winnipeg. Prior to last night, the Spartans’ last loss at home to the Wesmen was 3-0, 14 years ago, on February 26, 2010.
The Spartans are 45-21 lifetime against the Wesmen.
In their last conference weekend series, October 27-28, the Wesmen swept the Spartans 3-1, and 3-2 in Winnipeg. Before that weekend series, the Spartans had won 13 straight against the Wesmen.
Prior to this year, TWU last met Winnipeg in the postseason six years ago in the Canada West semi-finals on March 1-2, 2018. The Spartans swept the best-of-three series 2-0 (3-0, 3-0).
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now travel to Edmonton, Alta. to face the Alberta Golden Bears for the Canada West championship. Game time on Friday, March 8 is set for 7 p.m. (MT) and can be seen live on CBCSports.
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. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
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