Mark Janzen, Trinity Western University
LANGLEY, B.C. – The No. 10-ranked Spartans wrapped up a weekend sweep of visiting Winnipeg with a second straight three-set win, taking the match 25-17, 25-13, 25-23 Saturday at the Langley Events Centre.
With a dominant block – TWU had 10 blocks while Winnipeg had just one – the Spartans (11-3) were on the front foot from start to finish, as they earned their 10th win in a row.
Kristin Anton (Prince George, B.C.), who earned her third start of the season, led TWU with seven blocks to go with four kills. Ashtyn McKenzie (Vernon, B.C.) added five blocks. Offensively, Hilary Howe (Calgary) had a match-high 13 kills. Setter Brie O'Reilly (Langley) had 26 assists and four aces.
Kalena Schulz had a team-high six kills for the Wesmen (1-13). Jessica Friesen had five kills and three aces.
TWU finished with a .352 hitting percentage, while Winnipg hit .046 for the night. Both teams capped the match with their most efficient sets of the evening, with the Spartans hitting .462 and the Wesmen hitting .385.
On the strength of six blocks, the Spartans took the first set convincingly, winning by eight after hitting .217 compared the Wesmen's -.032. McKenzie had five blocks to lead TWU, while Katie Devaney (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) had a team-high three kills. Schulz was the Wesmen's top attacker with four kills.
With another three blocks for the home side to go with improved offensive numbers (TWU hit .364), the Spartans continued to control the match, winning the second set 25-13. Anton had two kills and three blocks for the Spartans, who had nine blocks through two sets.
TWU went up 6-1 in the third set, but the Wesmen battled right back, going on a 5-0 run to even the match. The run sparked a Winnipeg surge as the Wesmen earned a 16-13 lead at the technical timeout. However, TWU clawed back with a 6-1 run that put the Spartans on set point at 24-21. After a pair of Wesmen points, Howe finished the set and the match with a kill.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Ryan Hofer
"I'm really pleased with how we served tonight – just putting Winnipeg under pressure. They made some nice adjustments tonight that we had to be prepared for, so I was pleased overall with our team's performance. I was also really pleased with all the players who went in and contributed tonight. It was a full team effort and there are a some players who have been working really hard in practice and they went out there and did a good job.
"We had a few more blocks this evening compared to yesterday. I think (Winnipeg) was really trying to use our hands and, with that, sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't."
NOTABLE
• TWU has won 26 consecutive regular season games against Winnipeg.
• The last time the Wesmen took a match from the Spartans was Nov. 13, 2004.
• The Spartans haven't lost a match since Oct. 28 when they dropped a four-set contest against UBC Okanagan.
NEXT UP
The Spartans travel to play Manitoba Jan. 12-13, while Winnipeg returns home to host Manitoba.
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