LANGLEY, B.C. – The No. 1-ranked Trinity Western University Spartans came out on top in a three set-match, beating the University of Manitoba 25-14, 25-19, 25-20 Friday at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
The defending U SPORTS champion Spartans improved their record to 6-1 with the win while Manitoba dropped to 3-2.
Brodie Hofer (Langley, B.C.), Jackson Howe (Calgary) and Jacob Kern (Edmonton) were all dominant for TWU as they all reached double-digit kills despite playing just three sets. Kern had a match-high 11 kills along with two service aces and six digs, while Howe, who also had three aces, and Howe had 10 kills apiece. Derek Epp (Saskatoon) had 36 assists in the three-set win.
Ben Carleton had a team-high 10 kills for Manitoba.
TWU coach Ben Josephson now has 199 career regular season wins.
The Spartans took the first set in convincing fashion, beating the Bisons 25-14. Hofer had four kills in the set.
Manitoba battled back with some extended rallies in the second, but TWU held on to take the set 25-19.
There was no quit in the Bisons after going down 2-0, but they dropped the third and final set 25-20 despite a much-improved .370 hitting percentage.
The Spartans hit .403 as a team, while Manitoba hit .200. TWU had a 9-2 edge in aces.
QUOTABLE
Ben Josephson – TWU Head Coach
“It’s always uncomfortable playing on the road. It took us some time early, but we found our rhythm in the middle section of the first set and went on a bit of run. Then, in the third set, we saw the same thing and were a little bit undisciplined in our shot-making and defensive responsibilities but we were also facing better spikes as well.
“I thought Jackson Howe was great. We wanted to set him a bit more tonight. We thought we had an advantage in the middle tonight and Jackson did a really good job of taking advantage of that part of our game plan.
“Our combination of good passing, good setting and our middle attack puts a lot of pressure on our opponents, and that was on display tonight. You have to be the hardest working and most focused team if you want to be the best team. Complacency is a part of human nature, but if you want to be a great volleyball player and athlete you have to be great in the moment.
“We got to figure out number 17 (Zach Janzen). He’s had a great season spiking the ball and we had some ideas to contain him and it didn’t work. Carleton does a really good mixing up his speeds, so those two guys gave us a lot of problems.”
NOTABLE
• The Spartans have now won seven straight matches and 12 of their last 13 games against the Bisons. TWU’s last loss against Manitoba was Jan. 23, 2016.
• TWU has now won 15 straight sets.
• All six of the Spartans wins this year have been in three sets. Their only loss was a 3-2 setback against Alberta.
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Bisons play again Saturday at 5 p.m. (CT).
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women’s rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men’s hockey and as an independent team in men’s rugby. The men’s and women’s hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.
[SOURCE: Trinity Western University]