Bears blank Spartans in national final rematch

LANGLEY, B.C. – No. 3-ranked Trinity Western fell 3-0 (18-25, 19-25, 23-25) to No. 1-ranked Alberta on Friday night.
 
The Spartans (11-2) were led by Mathias Elser (Calgary) on the offensive side of the ball while Alberta (12-1) was led by 10 kills from both Jordan Canham and Isaac Heslinga. Overall, the Spartans had a difficult time stopping the Golden Bears offensive ventures, conceding a team hitting percentage of .429 to Alberta. The Spartans hit .260 in the loss.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Golden Bears took control of the game early, beating the Spartans 25-18 in the first set. The second set looked very similar to the first as Alberta’s offence continued to hum, leading to a 25-19 set victory for the Golden Bears.
 
The Spartans looked strong in the third set of play, forcing Alberta to close out the game at a 25-23 third set victory.

   
NOTABLE
TWU is 31-62 all-time against the Golden Bears. TWU is 7-3 in their last 10 meetings with Alberta.

TWU defeated the Golden Bears in the 2022 Canada West final to earn their seventh in program history. The Spartans fell to Alberta in the 2022 national final.

Alberta has won 12 consecutive games since losing their season opener to Saskatchewan.

UP NEXT
The Golden Bears and Spartans rematch at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.