LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western opened its Canada West regular season with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19) win over Fraser Valley Friday at the Langley Events Centre.
Led by Maryn Boldon (Okotoks, Alta.), who had a match-high 19 kills, and middle Kaylee Plouffe (Sherwood Park, Alta.), who collected 15 kills and five blocks, the Spartans rallied from a set down to win three straight sets on their way to the win. Setter Sydney Gill (St. Catharines, Ont.) had a team-high 23 assists, while Kendra Kern (Edmonton) added 11.
The Cascades were led by Lauren Attieh, who had 15 kills, while Talia Attieh and Mandi Fiest added 10 kills apiece. Last year’s U SPORTS Player of the Year Gabrielle Attieh, who has been injured throughout the preseason, made only a brief appearance as a serving sub.
The Spartans hit .244 as a team compared to UFV, who hit .225. TWU out-blocked the visiting Cascades 10-5 and had a 9-1 edge in aces.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Cascades took the first set, edging the Spartans late. UFV was the more efficient side in the second set, hitting .410 compared to TWU’s .344, but TWU held on to win 25-23. The Spartans offence hit .281 in the third set while holding UFV to a .150 hitting percentage, carrying TWU to a five-point win. In the fourth, TWU held UFV to .000 hitting and rolled to the win after hitting .129 themselves.
QUOTABLE Ryan Hofer – TWU Head Coach
“This group has been working incredibly hard all year. They knew they needed to learn to play together. They needed to play in pressure situations. A lot of them are very experienced volleyball players, but they needed to learn how to transfer that experience to this level. They’ve been learning how to do that every single day at practice.
“It’s about learning how to play one moment at a time. That’s what we’re emphasizing day after day. I think Maryn and Kaylee carried a heavy load for us. Our backcourt did a good job of passing the ball and our defence is starting to gain some traction.
“I really like the serving pressure that we put on them. There are some adjustments we can make in our block defence. It’s a great foundation to build upon.”
NOTABLE
· The match marked a new era for the Spartans, as TWU had six new starters on the floor, having graduated six starters from last year’s squad. Plouffe remains as the lone starter from 2022-23.
· The Spartans are now 11-0 all-time against UFV.
· Following the match, the Spartans raised their Canada West championship banner from 2022-23.
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Cascades will play in the rematch Saturday at 4 p.m. (PT) at the Langley Events Centre.
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 and women’s and men’s disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 33 Canada West team championships.