KAMLOOPS – They battled all the way back after dropping the first two sets, but in the end the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women’s volleyball team couldn’t complete the comeback in a 3-2 (25-21, 26-24, 21-25, 22-25, 15-11) loss at the hands of the MacEwan Griffins in Edmonton.
The loss was a difficult one for a WolfPack team that needs every point it can get in a tight Canada West playoff race. The ‘Pack are now 7-12 on the year and remain one game behind the UBC Okanagan Heat, Alberta Pandas and Saskatchewan Huskies who are all knotted up at 8-11 in a three-way tie for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Brooklyn Olfert (25 kills), Kate Lamothe (13) and Erin Mutch (10) provided the offensive punch for TRU with Olfert also firing in a ridiculous six service aces on the night. Faith Christensen had a strong game at the net, racking up two solo blocks as well as a pair of block assists.
The Griffins appeared to be well on their way to a quick victory after the hosts roared out of the gates by winning the first two sets and jumping out to a 15-10 edge in the third.
TRU refused to go away without a fight however and back-to-back aces from Abby Spratt capped off a 7-1 WolfPack run that allowed them to take a 21-19 lead. From there the ‘Pack were able to close out the set off a big kill from Lamothe.
The turning point in the fourth set came courtesy of some strong serving by Olfert. With the game knotted up at 22-22 the second-year outside hitter stepped back to the service line and ended the set with three-straight service aces to force a fifth and final frame.
The comeback wasn’t meant to be however. The Griffins dominated the early portion of the fifth set, taking a commanding 9-3 lead and never looking back en route to the 15-11 victory.
These two teams will be back in action tomorrow evening in Edmonton with a scheduled start time of 4:30 p.m.