LANGLEY, B.C. – No. 1-ranked Trinity Western fell to Alberta in five sets (25-13, 21-25, 25-18, 23-25, 13-15) on Friday night at the Langley Events Centre.
The Spartans (12-1) were led by an outstanding performance from first-year Maryn Boldon (Okotoks, Alta.) while the Pandas enjoyed a game-high of 17 kills from Lauryn Tremblay.
Fifth-year outside Ansah Odoom (Surrey, B.C.) enjoyed a strong night of hitting as well, putting down 14 kills in the loss.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans came out hot in the first set of play, defeating the Pandas 25-13. TWU’s hitting percentage rounded off at .245 in the first set as the Pandas were held to an efficiency of -.045. The Spartans also made five service aces in the set.
Alberta answered back with a second set victory (25-21) over the Spartans, tying the match at 1-1. Pandas outside hitter Lauryn Tremblay led the way in a strong defensive set from the Pandas as the team totalled five blocks on the set.
TWU rebounded in the third set, taking a 25-18 set victory over Alberta. The Spartans hit the ball well, boasting a percentage of .296 in the frame of play.
A late surge led by Boldon was held off by the Pandas, ending the fourth set at a 25-23 Alberta win.
The Pandas asserted themselves early in the fifth set, holding on for a 15-13 set victory to hand the Spartans their first loss of the season.
QUOTABLE Ryan Hofer – TWU Head Coach
“Full props to Alberta tonight – they played really well and tough in front of a good crowd. We need to focus on our side of the court, meeting our standards, and playing in a good place with our minds. There are things that we can fix for tomorrow, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
NOTABLE
Friday’s match was a rematch of the 2022 Canada West Championship match. The Spartans defeated the Pandas to secure their fifth Canada West Championship in program history.
TWU holds an all-time record of 29-43 against the Spartans, winning seven of the last nine competitions between the two teams.
Boldon made 12 of her 16 kills in the final two sets of the match. This was Boldon’s career high in kills, beating her previous record of 11 (@ MacEwan, 12/02/2022).
UP NEXT
The Pandas and Spartans rematch at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday at 5 p.m. PT.
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, as well as women’s and men’s disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 13 U SPORTS team championships and 32 Canada West team championships.