VIDEO PREVIEW: NO. 1 SPARTANS HOST NO. 10 WESMEN

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL (CANADA WEST)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012
WEEKEND PREVIEW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NO. 1 SPARTANS HOST NO. 10 WESMEN



LANGLEY, British Columbia – This weekend the No. 1 Spartans are back at the Langley Events Centre as they host the No. 10 University of Winnipeg Wesmen. Match times are set for 8 p.m. on Friday night and 7 p.m. on Saturday night. The last time that the Spartans and Wesmen met was two games in November 2010 in Langley, when the Spartans swept Winnipeg with two 3-0 wins.

Trinity Western Spartans (12-0)
Last Weekend: Alberta 3-0 W, 3-1 W
2012 CIS Rank: No. 1
2010-2011 CW Record: 13-5
2010-2011 CW Tournament: 3-1, 3rd
2010-2011 CIS Tournament: 3-0, 1st

Last weekend the Spartans faced their toughest challenge thus far in the season in the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Spartans shut down the powerhouse Golden Bears in a pair of games at the David E. Enarson gymnasium, maintaining the perfect Spartan record and No. 1 standing in Canada West and the CIS.

In the first of two games in Langley, B.C. the Spartans were surprised in the first set by a tenacious Golden Bears team that managed to win the first set 25-21. The Spartans struggled against the committed Golden Bears, hitting .000 and committing seven errors in the first set. In set two the Spartans hit their stride and bested the Bears in a 25-23 match. This ignited TWU and preceded Spartans domination in the third and fourth sets, as the Trinity Western team won with scores of 25-17 and 25-22, respectively.

Rudy Verhoeff posted a team-high 20 kills in the game, while Ben Ball chalked up 45 assists and Steven Marshall managed 18 digs on the night.

On Saturday night the Spartans were fired up for their second match in as many days against the Golden Bears. On this night the Spartans gave no quarter and completed a three-set sweep of their Alberta opponent. The Golden Bears kept the first set close until the very end, when the Spartans took control and subsequently took a 25-20 win.

Set two was another nail biter as the two teams exchanged leads throughout the set, culminating in a narrow 25-23 win for the Spartans. After this it was all Spartans, all the time as Trinity Western led from the first point until the end of the 25-19 game.

Verhoeff and Dan Jansen Van Doorn led the team with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while Verhoeff added seven digs to his total.

The Spartans now hold an impressive 20 match winning streak and are unbeaten in conference play.

University of Winnipeg Wesmen (6-8)
Last Weekend: Saskatchewan 3-2 W, 3-1 W
2012 CIS Rank: No. 10
2010-2011 CW Record: 2-16    
2010-2011 CW Tournament: N/A
2010-2011 CIS Tournament: N/A

The Winnipeg Wesmen have recovered from a difficult start to the season to now be on a four game winning streak going into their weekend in Langley, B.C.

Last weekend the Wesmen defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies in a pair of games to earn the No. 10 spot in the CIS rankings. In the first set the two teams were relatively even until the Huskies broke out towards the end of the match and captured a 25-23 win.  The second set went to the Wesmen as they managed a 25-21 win to even the match at one set apiece. The Wesmen kept their attack alive as they cranked out a 25-23 win in the third set. Despite being beaten in the fourth set 25-20, Winnipeg was able to rebound and take the final set 16-14.

In the game the Wesmen had contributions from across the lineup, with four players hitting at least 10 kills. Devin Schmidt, Matthew Stubler, Ty Loewen and Brendan Black hit the milestone for the Wesmen.

In game two of two the Wesmen were able to get a number of decisive wins over an erratic Huskies team. The first set was closely contested, but in the end it was the Wesmen getting the upper hand and the 28-26 win. This seemed to demoralize the Huskies as the second game was a 25-13 rout won easily by the Wesmen. But the Huskies were not about to go down without a fight, and came back with a 25-18 third set victory. This would be their last time getting close to Winnipeg, as the Wesmen replied with a 25-10 win to take the game.

Winnipeg’s Nathaniel Therrien impressed with a match-high 23 kills, while Stubler made 15 digs to lead both teams.

Both matches will be streamed live on Canadawest.TV. You can also follow the Spartans on Twitter @TWUSpartans or on YouTube at www.youtube/SpartansSID.

-TW-

Last Updated: 2012-01-19
Author: Scott Stewart