Strong showing for ‘Pack at preseason tournament

KAMLOOPS – The Thompson Rivers WolfPack women’s volleyball team played host to some of the top programs in the country this past weekend, finishing fifth at the WolfPack Invitational.
 
With the UBC Thunderbirds, Trinity Western Spartans, MRU Cougars, UFV Cascades, UBC Okanagan Heat and Alberta Pandas all in town, the tournament was a chance for the perennial powerhouses of Canadian university volleyball to test their mettle against one another.
 
“Overall it went really well,” said WolfPack head coach Chad Grimm. “We got to play lots of volleyball with two five-setters and then four-set game today, lots of people got in. It was good to get on the court against some quality opponents and see where we are at.”
 
GAME 1: TRU 3, UBC 2 (15-25, 25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12)
 
The ‘Pack got their tournament started with a bang, taking down the reigning national champion UBC Thunderbirds in the first game. After losing big in the first set TRU fought their way back into the game before taking the five-set victory.
 
“After the first set we thought it could be a really quick night, they kind of rolled us over and their service pressure was hurting us so it was nice to push back,” said Grimm.
 
GAME 2: UFV 3, TRU 2 (25-20, 19-25, 18-25, 25-13, 11-15)
 
In the semifinals the ‘Pack took on a UFV squad that made it to the Canada West playoff last year. After falling down two sets to one the ‘Pack rallied with a massive fourth set but were unable to pull out the win in five.
 
“It’s good for the girls to see that you’re not always going to play your best but it’s good to be able to hang around,” said Grimm.
 
GAME 3: UBCO 3, TRU 1 ((26-24, 15-25, 19-25, 23-25)
 
Facing the rival UBC Okanagan Heat in the bronze medal match, TRU came up just shy of making the podium. The ‘Pack took the opportunity to give plenty of playing time to younger players including the five new additions to the roster.
 
“It’s a great experience for them and I think they showed that they belong and can play at this level,” said Grimm on the play of the WolfPack rookies.
 
TRU will play their first regular season games of 2023-24 on the road in Alberta before returning to Kamloops for their home openers on October 27-28.

FINAL STANDINGS:
1 – Alberta Pandas
2 – UFV Cascades
3 – UBC Okanagan Heat
4 – TRU WolfPack
5 – UBC Thunderbirds
6 – MRU Cougars
7 – Calgary Dinos
8 – TWU Spartans