EDMONTON – Sam Flowerday had a game-high 19 kills to help the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in a 3-2 (19-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-11) reverse-sweep upset thriller Saturday night at the Saville Centre.
He was aided in the great win by setter Sam Elgert, who had a game-high 46 assists and played an incredible game as the quarterback of the offence.
Alberta was paced by third-year Isaac Heslinga, who also recorded 19 kills.
It was a story of two halves, as the Bears went up 2-0 in sets as their offence cruised early, but the ‘Pack would settle in and stifle the hosts while warming up their offence to a great level.
The first set was an exciting back-and-forth affair for the two squads. Heslinga recorded a set-high 4 kills as the Bears started strong 25-23.
The second set was even more impressive for the home side, who recorded a .500 attack percentage as Heslinga added another four kills. They would top TRU 25-14.
The third set was one of the tightest all night. There were six tie scores, but the ‘Pack led or tied the whole way thanks to four kills from Flowerday. They would head into the fourth set after winning 25-22.
The fourth set was paced by the TRU duo of Flowerday and Rylan Ibbetson who recorded 12 kills between the two of them. The ‘Pack would have their largest win of the night at 25-19 to send the game to an ultimate fifth set.
In the final set of the night, the ‘Pack offence was simply too potent for the Bears to handle. They would hit to the tune of a .462 attacking percentage, which was miles better than the .048 they held the Bears to. They would win the set and match 15-11, with Ibbetson recording a set-high two kills.
The Bears travel to Brandon for the first time since 2020 for a two-game set against the Bobcats next weekend, while the WolfPack return home for a series against the Calgary Dinos.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login