If you had walked into the TRU gym on Friday night (Jan 18), you would have thought it was the sudden death game of a playoff volleyball match. For the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s team it was. The WolfPack improved their playoff chances immensely in the Canada West with a 3-1 win over the visiting University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The scores were 25-22, 30-28,22-25,30-28.
WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly (Andrew Snucins photo)
“I think it was still tentative at times on our side,” said a very happy WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly. “ We played with emotion and a sense of urgency. Having a guy like Phil (Ozari, 1st year, outside hitter, Birkerod, Denmark) come out and have a big night. I can’t believe Daniel (Eikeland Rod, 1st year, middle, Os, Norway) came out and made that dig.”
Rod made a key dig in the fourth set which helped propel the WolfPack to their sixth victory compared to nine defeats. They sit tied for the eighth with Mount Royal. The top seven teams make the post season. UBC fell to 9-6 and sole possession of fifth place in the standings.
Philip Ozari serving vs Regina (Andrew Snucins photo)
Ozari, who has missed most of the season with injuries led the ‘Pack with 15 kills in 26 chances with four service aces, a dig and two block assists. He was named the “TRU Bookstore/McDonalds Leader of the Pack player of the match.
“It was a great atmosphere,”Ozari said about the boisterous pro TRU crowd. “ We had a very good spirit on the court. The crowd made us shout and be louder on the court. I think it carried our team through the game.” Ozari compared the vocal crowd to those he has experienced at European Youth Championships.
“I thought we were aggressive and our offense was very good,” he said about what went well for the WolfPack on this night. “ Our serving was OK. I thought we had a lot of good serves at the right times. Our blocking was ok. Our passing was a little off and we won the right balls at the right times.”
Brad Gunter with the kill (George Wycherley photo)
Brad Gunter (2nd year, outside hitter, Courtenay, BC) had a team high 16 kills in 41 opportunities.
Colin Carson (Andrew Snucins photo)
Colin Carson (4th year, setter, Prince George, BC) had 42 assists and 10 digs.
For UBC—They were led by Jarrid Ireland (2nd year, outside hitter, Winnipeg, MB) who had 17 kills in 39 chances. Milan Nikic (2nd year, setter, Calgary, AB0 had 39 assists. While Ben Chow (2nd year, outside hitter, Surrey, BC) had eight digs.
Matt Krueger watches Hardy Wooldridge dig vs UBC tonight (George Wycherley photo)
The two teams play again Saturday (Jan 19) at the TRU Gym. Game time is 6:45 pm.
SIDE OUTS: Hennelly said the crowd was a factor: “If we had the same number of people at the TCC (Tournament Capital Centre, the WolfPack’s regular home), they would have been quiet. They (the crowd) are right on top of us. When it is louder, it makes people more excited. Loud fans raise the intensity. It’s a massive win for our team but I think the atmosphere was awesome.”
Hennelly believes the victory is what the team needed to kick start its drive for a playoff spot: “For sure every match we play now is critical. We helped us out tremendously tonight. We didn’t lose ground and that is what is important. I think the level of competition tonight against UBC is where we need to be to perform. We are a young team. I think we have to play with ‘that edge’. When we were in Saskatchewan last weekend we were just flat. “