WolfPack struggle to close sets in loss to Wesmen

KAMLOOPS – The visiting Winnipeg Wesmen earned a 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-20) victory over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women’s volleyball team inside the TCC Friday night.
 
“Today I thought we played really well, the girls accomplished what we wanted to but at the end of each set we put our foot on the brake a little bit, the score slipped away and it isn’t easy to get the confidence back,” said WolfPack head coach Behlul Yavasgel.
 
Hanging tight with the Wesmen in the first and third sets, the WolfPack allowed Winnipeg to snatch momentum right at the end of both frames.
 
Ema Palkovicova led the WolfPack offence with 12 kills. Middles Faith Christensen and Hayley McNaught added four apiece while rookie setter Libby Meldrum had 10 assists in her first extended run of Canada West play.
 
“It was great to see Libby excel, tt’s very tough for a first-year setter in this league,” said Yavasgel. “I think our middles Haley and Faith did a great job. Sasha Haldane did a great job coming and making a huge impact in the first set. I think Libby’s play in particular was a really eye-opening experience for me because I think she has a lot of potential and could really take her game to the next level.”
 
Ashleigh Laube and Emma Parker had 12 kills apiece to pace the Wesmen. Portia Switzer recorded 31 assists. Defensively Selva Planincic and Parker had 11 digs each for a scrappy Wesmen side that clutched up when it needed to.
 
These teams will do battle again inside the TCC tomorrow afternoon with a scheduled start time of 4:45 p.m.
 
“We get tight at the end of sets thinking we have to do something differently but actually we just have to play the same way, stay relaxed and communicate,” said Yavasgel on what the ‘Pack need to change to take the next step and pull out a victory.