WVB: TWU book spot in title game with straight set victory over UBC

EDMONTON - The Trinity Western Spartans are headed to the Canada West finals following a three set (25-23, 25-17, 25-11) victory over Greater Vancouver rivals the UBC Thunderbirds Friday afternoon at the Saville Centre.

The #1 U SPORTS ranked Spartans will face off against the #2 Alberta Pandas at 3PM MST tomorrow afternoon for the CW title. The Spartans are no stranger to conference title games, now appearing in five of the last eight championship matches. They also clinched a berth in the 2022 U SPORTS Championship with the victory.

The Thunderbirds suffer their first loss of the postseason thus far, and while relegated to the bronze medal match they can still ensure participation in the national championships with a win. They will battle the Mount Royal Cougars at 1PM MST tomorrow afternoon.

First-team CW all-star Savannah Purdy and Meaghan Mealey were the standouts for the victors, the former recording a game-high 12 kills. They were part of an efficient attack, run by setter Olivia Heinen who paced the game with 28 assists, and finished with a remarkable .405 hitting percentage.

The Thunderbirds were uncharacteristically poor on the attack this afternoon, after ranking second in the CW in playoff kills to this point. They finished with a .120 hitting percentage, and were largely shut down by a phenomenal TWU blockline. Middle Jayde Robertsen and first-team outside hitter Clara Kovacs were bright spots for the TBirds, with the former finishing with five kills along with an ace.

The first set was a remarkable continuation of the close battles these two squads have had in the regular season. Mealey was dominant for the West division champion Spartans, recording four kills in five swings before the technical timeout and finishing with a set-high seven kills. For the TBirds, Kovacs paced the starters with 4 kills on seven attacks. Both attacks were outstanding in the frame recording north of a .180 hitting percentage; however, the Spartans defence was more effective, out-digging UBC 10-6 and finishing the frame with five total blocks. The Spartans would outlast the Thunderbirds in a close 25-23 victory.

Notably, the squads finished with four service errors apiece, a large departure from a typically strong area for both teams.

The UBC attack struggled to break through the Spartan blockline to start the second set, as TWU rode a .429 hitting percentage to a 16-10 technical timeout lead. Ansah Odoom was an anchor on the Spartans backline all day, recording six digs in the frame including a remarkable one that went off her face and led to a TWU point. The Thunderbirds were unable to capture their previous attacking form en route to a .097 hitting percentage, and though they attempted a late comeback bid, Trinity Western won the frame 25-17.

The third set was a similar song and dance to the previous frame, as the Spartans rushed out to a 9-1 lead to begin the set. TWU's first-team all-star Avery Heppell recorded four kills in this run, and the Thunderbirds could not seem to get into a good rhythm. The Spartans would make quick work of the UBC squad to finish the third set with a resounding 25-11 victory.

Both teams will continue their playoff journey tomorrow at the Saville Centre in the early afternoon. Catch the action on canadawest.tv or follow the live stats on the Canada West website.