WVB: Spartans top Pandas to win 5th Canada West title

EDMONTON - The Trinity Western Spartans captured their third straight Canada West Championship with a resounding four set victory (25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19) over the host Alberta Pandas Saturday afternoon at the Saville Centre.

It is the Spartans fifth overall CW title which comes on the heels of arguably the most successful Trinity Western campaign to date. They finished the regular season at 15-1, a program record in winning percentage, and have now finished the conference postseason at 6-1. With their semifinal win yesterday they had already wrapped up a berth in the 2022 U SPORTS national championships.

2021-22 CW Coach of the Year TWU's Ryan Hofer was proud of the way his team handled adversity and pressure the whole season.

"We tried to play every match with a full heart and to not let the pressures of the outside; wins, losses, and impressing people affect our play. We wanted to be able to play free for each other and to enjoy this opportunity."

The Spartans had five players reach double digits in kills, and for Hofer this is a real strong suit of the team.

"I feel fortunate that kills can come from anywhere on the court, not just the middle, and it creates a little depth for us to be able to move our players around depending on how our opponent is playing."

While the Pandas were stopped just short of their 12th conference title, they will have a chance at redemption in the U SPORTS national championships which happen next weekend in Calgary.

Alberta's program legend Kory White led the game with 17 kills, while the Spartans were led by Ansah Odoom who finished with 13.

The Spartan setting combo of Olivia Heinen and Dora Komlodi were phenomenal all day, leading TWU to an efficient .338 hitting percentage.

It was as close as a four-set victory could be, with the overall score margin falling at just 13 in favour of the Spartans. While both teams showcased the attacks that dominated the conference all season it was the Spartans defence, particularly at the net, that was a key factor in the victory. TWU recorded 52 digs to Alberta's 44, and added six blocks in an impressive defensive performance.

Trinity Western opened the game on a heater; leading 16-9 at the technical timeout and showcasing their immense depth with five players recording a kill and ten seeing the court. They had a response to every Alberta attack, as the Pandas vaunted offence recorded a goose egg .000 hitting percentage at the break.

The Pandas quickly found a groove, however, and responded with a 7-1 run to get back into the frame. White recorded three kills in the stretch with setter Justine Kolody running an efficient offence.

The set would inch towards a conclusion, with the Spartans eventually closing out a 25-22 victory. The Pandas committed nearly half of the errors by TWU, but were unable to make it past a phenomenal blockline that recorded four total blocks in the frame. White and TWU's Meaghan Mealey led the set with three kills apiece.

The second set featured a scorching Spartan attack led by Mikayla Benterud and Odoom that swung at a .467 clip at the break. While the Pandas were clean in terms of errors, they could not make it past the heralded combo of Avery Heppell and Kaylee Plouffe who challenged every attack at the net.

Alberta head coach Laurie Eisler's injection of third-year hitter Lauryn Tremblay brought some life back to the Alberta attack, recording three kills on four swings after the break, but it was not enough as the Spartans would win the frame 25-19 to take a commanding 2-0 game lead.

Benterud was phenomenal in the second, going a perfect five-for-five on the attack and adding a block for good measure.

The third set was the best of the day, with both offences fully warmed up and showing it. The teams combined for an insane cumulative hitting percentage of .454. The veteran Alberta trio of White, Vanessa Jarman, and Julia Zonneveld found their swings with each recording at least three kills in frame.

White was fully her 2021-22 Player of the Year self, recording a set high four kills in a close battle that the Pandas were able to close out by a score of 25-23. TWU again was led by a depth effort, with three different players matching White with four kills apiece.

Both teams found another gear in the fourth. The compete level was everything you expect out of a conference championship game, as both teams were sporting attack percentages well above .500 at the break. A 16-10 lead at the midway point would only balloon from there, with the Spartans going on a 4-1 run to lead 20-11.

White and Zonneveld would not go quietly, each recording two kills a piece to bring the Pandas back into the set. However, the TWU combination of Benterud, Odoom, Mealey, Heppell, and CW first-teamer Savannah Purdy would prove too much for the comeback however, with all recording at least three kills in the set. The Spartans would win the set 25-19 and the title with it.

Both teams will compete in the U SPORTS national championship held at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium in Calgary, Alberta. The action will begin on Friday, March 25th.