WINDSOR, ON - The Mustangs battled against the top-ranked team, Trinity Western at the U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship on Friday night. They traded strong moments early but faced heavy pressure from Trinity's serving and offense throughout the match. Despite a few key plays and efforts to slow the momentum, Trinity controlled the later stretches of each set and earned a 3-0 win to move on this weekend. Western fought hard to get here and did the best they could, ending it off with banger teamwork and a positive mindset throughout.
"Some guys struggled. We were under the gun right off the bat and they (Trinity Western) played so well." said Mustangs Head Coach Jim Sage. "They're such a strong team that unless everyone's on our side playing at their top level, we're not going to compete against them. So it became pretty clear as it went on. I thought we showed moments and then quickly that went away."
Friday, March 13
GAME RECAP
The first set began with Western getting the first point of the match with a clean swing, but Trinity answered quickly and started building momentum with strong serving and aggressive play at the net. A service ace and a few transition kills helped Trinity pull ahead early, and Western had trouble slowing the run down. Western picked up a couple nice points through the middle of the set, including a big block and a few solid swings in transition, but Trinity kept the pressure on and extended the gap. They finished the set with a couple strong plays at the net to take it. Trinity Western won the first set 25–14.
Western had a much better start in the second and stayed close through the early points with strong side-outs and a big triple block that energized the bench. The teams traded points for a stretch, but Trinity Western found another gear midway through the set with a few key kills and tough serving that forced Western out of system. Western tried to respond with a couple good swings and a block late, but Trinity kept the momentum and added a service ace to stretch the lead. They closed out the set with steady offense and Trinity took the second set 25–15.
The third set was the most competitive of the match early on, with both teams trading points and keeping the score tight through the first half. Western picked up some big plays at the net, including a block and a couple strong kills that helped them stay right in it. Trinity Western eventually pulled away behind a strong serving run that included back-to-back aces and a few clean transition swings. Even with Western fighting to stay close, Trinity kept control in the final stretch and finished the set with a pair of solid plays at the net, winning the game 3-0, at 25–13.
"Obviously not the result we were hoping for, but we'll give credit to Trinity Western. They're a really strong squad. You obviously don't win Canada West without being one of the strongest teams in Canada, if not the strongest team." said Mustangs Libero Andrew Kerkhoff. "I'm proud of the way we stuck in, kind of kept fighting. Things weren't going our way. I think their service caught us a little bit off guard, especially with some of the off-speed pace, but I think we learned a lot from that match and we're excited to bring it into tomorrow against Montreal."
KEY STATS
Kills - Cade Smith (25), Jayden Talsma (21), Oliver Toomes (14), Nicolas Silon (11)
Blocks - Kendall Homenick (2), Nicolas Silon (1)
Digs - Andrew Kerkhoff (10), Cade Smith (4), Micheal Jones (4)
NEXT GAME
With the loss, the Mustangs move into the consolation bracket and will take on the Montréal Carabins Saturday afternoon, match time is set for 2:00pm from the Toldo Lancer Centre in Windsor, ON. Fans can stream the action LIVE on CBC Sports & CBC Sports YouTube.
