MVB: Spartans Move On, Defeating Brandon in Three Sets

LANGLEY, B.C. – No. 5 Trinity Western completed their Canada West quarterfinal sweep of No. 10-ranked Brandon at the Langley Events Centre on Friday, defeating the Bobcats in straight-sets (26-24, 25-15, 25-22).
 
With TWU’s victory over Brandon, the Spartans have secured a spot in the Canada West semifinals.
 
The game-high in kills belonged to Spartans outside-hitter Brodie Hofer (Langley, B.C.), who made 13 kills on a hitting percentage of .400. Hofer also made two aces and six digs in the victory.
 
For Brandon, Philipp Lauter led the Bobcats once again, making 11 kills on 24 attempts, and a game-high of five blocks. Brandon outside-hitter Max Brook also posted a match-high in aces, making three.
 
Aside from Hofer, the Spartans also got solid night from Jesse Elser (Calgary) and Jackson Corneil (Surrey, B.C.). Elser made 11 kills while Corneil made eight errorless kills on 10 attempts.
 
The Spartans held the Bobcats to a team hitting percentage of .152, hitting .337 themselves to secure the win.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Bobcats came out strong in the first set, but the Spartans rallied to take a cagey first set 26-24.
 
TWU fired in the second set, hitting .478 as a team to secure a 25-15 second-set victory.
 
The third set saw the Bobcats make things close again, but TWU gutted out a 25-22 win off an Elser kill to finish the match, and the series as a whole.
 
QUOTABLE
Adam Schriemer – TWU Co-Interim Head Coach
“The hardest part about these Canada West series is being the better team two out of three times, and the strength of our conference makes that a tough task. Brandon puts pressure on us in so many ways, and it took an uncommon performance from our guys to get the result we needed.
 
“I thought that was Mathias Elser’s (Calgary) best game as a setter. The way he distributed the ball evenly was great. He got our middles involved, and reversed the ball to Henry [Rempel] (Swift Current, Sask.) really well.”
 
Grant Wilson – Brandon Head Coach
“It’s always disappointing when you can’t move on, but we fought point-for-point, and game-for-game against a high-quality opponent. They deserved to win and move on. Credit to our guys for never going away. I’m proud of their effort.
 
“Our seniors have been such a big part of our team in terms of skill, but more so our team culture. It’s tough to see it end this way, but it has to at some point. I couldn’t be more proud of all of them for what they’ve done for the program, representing us in such a positive way.”
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans hold a 29-16 all-time record over the Bobcats. TWU has won eight of their last 10 against Brandon.