Scheduled Game: Regina@CW Final Four

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GAME RESULTS 1 2 3 4 5 T Regina 25 22 25 21 15 3 « FINAL Trinity Western 20 25 23 25 12 2

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Game Recap

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL (CANADA WEST PLAYOFFS)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2010
NO. 4 TWU SPARTANS (2) AT NO. 5 UNIVERSITY OF REGINA COUGARS (3)
(25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPARTANS SEASON OVER AFTER SECOND FIVE SET LOSS AT FINAL FOUR

WINNIPEG – For the second time in two nights the Trinity Western University women’s volleyball team had their hearts broken in five sets as they saw their season end with a 25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12 loss to the No. 5 University of Regina Cougars in the Canada West Final Four bronze medal match at the Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg.

Statistically the Spartans were probably the better team. They hit for a higher percentage 24.2 percent to 19.6 percent, had more blocks 11 to seven and more digs 81 to 71. But it was Regina was able to pull off the win and earn the final Canada West spot at next week’s CIS women’s volleyball championship in Edmonton.

Regina was led by Meagan Onstad’s 20 kills on a team high 51 attempts. Onstad also led in digs with 20, and team mate Tiffany Herman had 52 assists.

For the Spartans, Kara Jansen Van Doorn led the way with 19 kills of her own, while Carmen Dyck (12) and Nicole Bazin (10) each scored double digit kills in the contest.

The Spartans came flying out of the gate, building an 8-3 lead by the first technical timeout. But the Cougars mounted a comeback to tie the game at 12. The momentum kept up, as the Cougars built up a 22-16 lead before the Spartans used their second timeout. This seemed to get them back on track, but it wasn’t enough, as the Cougars took the first set 25-20.

The momentum from the first set win carried the Cougars into the second, when they jumped out to an 8-5 lead, but like the Spartans in the first, the Cougars couldn’t hold on. The Spartans overtook the Cougars at 11-10 that was in the midst of a 14-5 run by the Spartans, who forced the Cougars to take a timeout trailing 19-13. But despite their efforts, the Cougars couldn’t take a 2-0 lead in sets, dropping the second 25-22.

Each team had a chance to take a big step toward the CIS Championship by picking up a win in the third, and it was the Cougars picking up five of the first six points. Regina would lead for most of the set, but after a delay of game warning was issued to TWU when they were trailing 16-12, the Spartans started to chip away at the lead. Trinity Western would eventually tie the game at 20, but couldn’t complete the comeback, dropping a 25-23 decision in the third.

Trailing two sets to one, the Spartans needed to win the fourth set to keep their chance of continuing to play next week alive. The set was never in doubt, as the Spartans took an early 5-1 lead and never looked back. The lead was as big as eight, but the Cougars were able to get it back down to four, but that’s as close as they would come as the Spartans took the set 25-21. TWU had a 33 per cent team attack percentage in the set, as compared to just under 18 per cent for Regina.

The Cougars rebounded from trailing the entire fourth set to take an 8-5 lead, one they extended to 11-7 midway through the set. But the Spartans weren’t going to go down without a fight, as they worked their way back to within one point at 13-12. But that was all the magic TWU could muster, as Regina sealed the deal by picking up the next two points, winning 15-12.

The Cougars will now head off to the CIS Championship at the University of Alberta over the March 5-7 weekend.

Match Notes: Earlier this year the Spartans and Cougars had split their season series 1-1 with both teams winning 3-0 at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C…

-TW-
-source Manitoba Sports Information.

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