KAMLOOPS – Despite being buoyed by the nearly 1,000 elementary and middle school students from across School District 73 that packed inside the TCC, the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men’s volleyball team was unable to pull off the upset in a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-14) loss to the reigning national champion Alberta Golden Bears.
“It was awesome to get this opportunity in my fourth year when I’m on the court making plays,” said WolfPack libero Dylan VanSpankeren on the energy brought by the cheering students. “The crowd was great, they were cheering and screaming. It was great vibes, I loved it.”
The visitors were extremely efficient offensively, hitting .457 per cent as a team in the game while also putting up 14 blocks to TRU’s four.
“They’re a strong team and I think most of guys who won the national championship last year are back so this is a great opportunity to play them,” said VanSpankeren. “We want to be at that high level and pushing for championships, so opportunities to play against these guys and learn is great.”
Sam Flowerday put down eight kills for TRU while Thundersky Walkingbear added seven kills on his 15 attacks. Sam Elgert recorded 14 assists for TRU with VanSpankeren picking up seven digs.
Jordan Canham was electric for the Golden Bears. The fourth-year outside hitter finished the game with 14 kills on just 17 attacks, earning him a hitting percentage of .824. Braedon Friesen and Isaac Heslinga added eight kills apiece respectively.
The first set was the closest of the game. Walkingbear gave the WolfPack a 14-13 lead before the Golden Bears roared back. Alberta took the next five-straight points en route to claiming the first set. From there, the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked Golden Bears were able to ride momentum and complete the sweep.
TRU will get a second shot at pulling off the upset tomorrow afternoon inside the TCC when these teams face off at 2 p.m.
“Going forward I think if we can step up our serve-and-pass game I feel like we can give them a good run,” said VanSpankeren.
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