VB: WPG, CGY hitters put exclamation marks on season

CALGARY – Winnipeg’s Emma Parker and Calgary’s Liam Kuppe were named the Canada West Volleyball Players of the Week by the conference on Tuesday.

Parker did not need much time to slam down 44 kills this weekend, rising up to meet the challenge in her team’s final regular season games.

She put away 23 kills Friday evening against the Saskatchewan Huskies, also tucking away a service ace while notching 16 digs on the defensive end. She put up even more Saturday, popping up an impressive 19 digs in the four-set match. The Huskies still had no answer for her as she again slaughtered them from the outside.

The all-around performance was a perfect metaphor for the hitter’s season: Parker finished league play second in the conference for kills per set and sixth in digs per set, alongside mostly dedicated liberos.

Her strong play helped the Wesmen maintain fourth place and home court advantage for the CW Quarterfinals next weekend.

The best-of-three series begins Friday at 6:00 p.m. Game two is slated for Saturday at 5:00 and the third game, if needed, is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CST. You can catch all the action on Canada West TV.

Game log:
Feb. 17: 23K (.267), 1 SA, 1 BA, 16 digs, 24.5 points in 3-1 W vs SSK
Feb. 18: 21K (.247), 2 SA, 1 BA, 19 digs, 23.5 points in 3-1 W vs SSK

Meanwhile, Liam Kuppe led the Calgary Dinos to two convincing wins over the Manitoba Bisons, a match that had ramifications in playoff seeding.

The two teams, going into the weekend at 10-12 and 9-13 respectively, knew the series loser would likely have to face the country’s top team in the CW Quarterfinals.

Kuppe was steel-minded under pressure, putting together two remarkable hitting performances that saw him hit at a high clip each night. He slammed down 13 kills Friday, helping on defence with four block assists and 13 digs as the Dinos took down the Bisons 3-1.

Kuppe then helped his team send a message that they’re peaking at the right time with a 10-kill, .562 hitting percentage performance Saturday. He added two service aces, three block assists and four digs to power through the Bisons, 3-0.

The outside hitter helped his Dinos lock up seventh heading into playoffs to draw a crosstown match-up with the Mount Royal Cougars in the quarterfinals, as close to a home court advantage as a team could get.

That best-of-three series is slated for Friday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. MST if needed. You can catch all the action on Canada West TV.

Game log:
Feb. 17: 13K (.348), 4 BA, 13 digs, 15 points in 3-1 W vs MAN
Feb. 18: 10K (.562), 2 SA, 3 BA, 4 digs, 13.5 points in 3-0 W vs MAN