Scheduled Game: SASKATCHEWAN*

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GAME RESULTS 1 2 3 4 T Saskatchewan 25 22 26 19 1 Trinity Western 27 25 24 25 3 « FINAL

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Game Recap

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL (CANADA WEST)


FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

TRINITY WESTERN (3) SASKATCHEWAN (1)

(27-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-19)

SPARTANS EARN WELL-FOUGHT WIN OVER HUSKIES

LANGLEY, British Columbia – It was a back-and-forth battle from the opening serve to the final point, but in the end, the No. 2 Trinity Western men’s volleyball team prevailed 3-1 (27-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-19) over the visiting No. 7 Saskatchewan Huskies Friday at the Langley Events Centre.

In a match that included 36 tie scores and 15 lead changes, the Spartans (6-1) got past the Huskies (3-4) by putting up a .241 attack percentage compared to Saskatchewan’s  .149. In a battle against the biggest team the Spartans have faced this year, TWU also edged the Huskies on the block 13-10.5.

After the Huskies closed the gap with a third set win and then kept it close through the middle stages of the fourth set, the Spartans poured it on late as they ran away with the final set, winning 25-19.

Trinity Western was led by Nick Del Bianco (Surrey, B.C.), who had 19 kills and a .310 hitting percentage to go along with three blocks. Brad Kufske (Abbotsford, B.C.) added 13 kills, six blocks and three aces while Steven Marshall (Abbotsford), making his first start at home this year after getting injured in the Spartans first match of the year, had 15 kills, 17 digs and three blocks. Libero Tyler Koslowsky (Abbotsford) had a match-high 20 digs as well as seven assists. Setter Scott Plocktis (Kelowna, B.C.) had 40 assists and 10 digs.

For the Huskies, it was Paul Thomson leading the way with 17 kills, two blocks, two aces and 10 digs. Matthew Busse added 12 kills and five blocks while Bryan Fraser had 10 kills, three blocks and seven digs. Saskatchewan setter Chris Gilbert had 39 assists and a team-high 18 digs.

“We knew it was going to be tough coming in because they’re really big, they’re physical and they’re really well-coached,” said Spartans coach Ben Josephson. “I thought we did a good job of adjusting and finding shots. Every set was really close and it could have gone either way.

“I’m pleased with how our guys responded in the fourth set after losing the third. We’ve been talking a lot about how we are going to emotionally respond when things don’t go our way. And it was good to see the guys come back and get it done in the fourth.”

The Huskies came out strong in the first set as they quickly opened up a 10-6 advantage. From there, Saskatchewan pushed its lead to 16-10 after a Spartans service error. However, with two quick points out of the break, the Spartans started to climb back into the set. And with the Huskies up 23-22, a kill by Plocktis off a scrambled play at the net tied the set. From there, it was back and forth as the Spartans had set point at 24-23 but the Huskies responded and had a chance to win themselves at 25-24. However, after that, the Spartans earned three straight points, including an ace from serving sub Ryan Sclater (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), and a serving error from the Huskies on the winning point as TWU took the set 27-25.

In the second set, the Spartans were the ones with the early lead as they took an 8-4 advantage. This time it was Saskatchewan fighting back. With back-to-back kills from Thomson, the Huskies took a 15-14 lead. After that, neither team was able to take more than a two-point lead until the set finally swung in TWU’s favour after a yellow card was shown to Saskatchewan and the resulting point gave the Spartans a 20-18 lead. Trinity Western hung on from there and, after a missed serve by the Huskies nabbed the set 25-22.

The third set saw the teams go point-for-point largely throughout the entire frame. After the Huskies closed the gap to within two-points, at 6-4, neither possessed anything more than a two-point edge the rest of the way. Back and forth they went until the Huskies finally ended it after a Spartans attack error gave Saskatchewan the 26-24 win. It was the Paul Thomson show for the Huskies as he had seven kills in the set. Del Bianco responded with six kills of his own for the Spartans.

Like the first three sets, the fourth was a tight affair with neither team able to take control until TWU did so in the latter stages. With the set tied 13-13, the Spartans went on a 3-0 run that turned the match. After that, Saskatchewan never got closer than two points. With Marshall earning seven kills for the Spartans in the fourth set alone, including the final two points of the match, TWU escaped with its most convincing win of the night, 25-19.

The Spartans and Huskies will return to the court Saturday for the back half of their weekend series. Game time is at 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre.

Game Notes: TWU had a 7-5 advantage in aces…TWU had 72 digs to Saskatchewan’s 58…after losing to UBC to open the season, the Spartans have now won six matches in a row.

-TW-

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