Photo by Rob Weitzel - www.sportsshooter.ca
REGINA (CIS) – The Trinity Western Spartans secured fifth place in the 2014 CIS Women’s Volleyball Championship with a five-set victory over the host Regina Cougars on Sunday in the consolation final at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.
The host Cougars opened the match with a 25-22 win in the first, but Trinity Western responded with 25-23 and 25-22 wins in the second and third to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Cougars hit .481 as a team in a fourth set which they won by a 25-16 margin, but Trinity Western held off the U of R for a 15-13 win in the deciding set to take the win.
The win gives the Spartans a fifth-place finish in the CIS Championship for the fourth time in program history. Their best finishes came in 2011 and 2013, placing third in both tournaments.
Alicia Perrin had 17 kills and a .293 hitting percentage for the Spartans, while Sophie Carpentier led Trinity Western with 19 kills and both Perrin and Carpentier finished with 12 digs. Libero Kristen Moncks had a team-leading 15 digs, while rookie setter Vanessa Cornwall had 50 assists and 11 digs in the win. Katelyn Devaney had a team-high five blocks as Trinity Western had nine blocks to Regina’s seven during the five-set marathon.
The Cougars actually held a 70-54 advantage in kills and hit .267 to Trinity Western’s .208, but also had 17 service errors compared to just six from the Spartans. Desiree Ates set a University of Regina single-match record with 28 kills while hitting .279 for the Cougars, while Chelsea Ziolkowksi had 15 kills and only three errors to lead all players with a .400 hitting percentage. Tori Glynn led all players with 20 digs, while Leah Shevkenek had 56 assists and 10 digs.
After the Cougars’ decisive victory in the fourth, they came out strong in the fifth and opened up a 7-4 lead in the final set. But Trinity Western battled back, taking six of the next eight points and never trailing the rest of the way. The Spartans broke a 13-13 tie with two straight points, first on a kill by Perrin and then on a block by Devaney and Chelsea Wand that gave Trinity Western the win.
NOTES: Though the Cougars and Trinity Western have extensive history in recent seasons in Canada West postseason action, Sunday marked the first time the two rivals have met in a CIS Championship match ... the Cougars now have a 4-7 all-time record in their 11 CIS Championship matches.
STAT LEADERS
Trinity Western
Kills: Sophie Carpentier (19), Alicia Perrin (17)
Points: Alicia Perrin (20.5), Sophie Carpentier (20)
Blocks: Katelyn Devaney (0,5)
Digs: Kristen Moncks (15)
Service aces: Vanessa Cornwall, Carly Hamilton, Alicia Perrin
(2)
Player of the match: Vanessa Cornwall
Regina
Kills: Desiree Ates (28), Chelsea Ziolkowski (15)
Points: Desiree Ates (30.5), Chelsea Ziolkowski (17.5)
Blocks: Molly Wade-Cummings (0,5)
Digs: Tori Glynn (20)
Service aces: Desiree Ates, Molly Wade-Cummings (2)
Player of the match: Megan Semeniuk
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times CENTRAL TIME)
Friday, February 28
13:00 Quarter-final #1: Dalhousie 3, Trinity Western 1 (25-21,
15-25, 25-19, 25-23)
15:00 Quarter-final #2: Manitoba 3, Ottawa 0 (25-17, 25-23,
25-16)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: UBC 3, Regina 1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-12,
25-16)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: Laval 3, McMaster 0 (25-15, 25-20,
25-19)
Saturday, March 1
13:00 Consolation #1: Trinity Western 3, Ottawa 0 (25-14, 25-22,
25-15)
15:00 Consolation #2: Regina 3, McMaster 0 (25-18, 25-20,
25-15)
18:00 Semifinal #1: Manitoba 3, Dalhousie 0 (25-22, 25-13,
25-21)
20:00 Semifinal #2: UBC 3, Laval 1 (24-26, 25-13, 25-21, 25-18)
Sunday, March 2
13:00 5th place: Trinity Western 3, Regina 2 (22-25, 25-23, 25-22,
16-25, 15-13)
15:00 Bronze medal: Dalhousie vs. Laval (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
18:00 Championship final: Manitoba vs. UBC (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
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