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CIS consolation #1: Wolf Pack roll over Winnipeg, to play for 5th place
Courtesy of U of Alberta sports information
EDMONTON - The No. 6-sseded Thompson Rivers Wolf Pack may not have
a chance at a medal, but that didn't stop them from putting forth a
dominating three-set victory (25-22, 25-23, 25-20) over the No. 7
Winnipeg Wesmen, Saturday afternoon, in the first consolation duel
of the 2009 CIS men's volleyball championship at the University of
Alberta's main gym.
Championship website:
www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_volleyball/2009
With the win, Thompson Rivers, which lost a five-set heartbreaker
to No. 3 McMaster in Friday's quarterfinal round, gets a chance to
play for fifth place on Sunday at 12 p.m. Mountain Time against
either No. 5 Dalhousie or No. 8 UNB.
Winnipeg, relegated to the consolation side following an
opening-round loss to No. 2 Laval, finishes the tournament at
0-2.
On Saturday, Josh Boruck was a force to be reckoned with for
Thompson Rivers both on the attack as well as on the blocking
front. He finished with 13 kills and four blocks.
Gord Perrin chipped in with 10 kills and Conor Eatch finished with
eight kills and seven blocks.
Winnipeg's Andrew Town was the big offensive weapon for the Wesmen
as he finished with 11 kills.
Boruck took player-of-the-game honours for the victors, while 2009
Dale Iwanoczko award winner Alan Ahow was the choice for Winnipeg.
Ahow had seven kills, three digs and one block in his final
university outing.
For the Wolf Pack, 2009 marks the second straight Nationals
appearance for one of the youngest programs in the CIS. They won't
improve on their bronze-medal performance from a year ago, but they
continue to gain more experience along the way.
"We talked last night, and it can obviously be tough emotionally
to get fired up for a consolation match, but if you're going to
step on the floor with the Wolf Pack, you're not only representing
yourself, but you're representing your university" said TRU head
coach Pat Hennelly. "We're a young program and we want to keep that
pride in our program and I respect the fact our guys came through
and did that today."
For Winnipeg, the loss means the program's worst finish at
Nationals since 1994. The Wesmen tied Manitoba's record of 10
Tantramar trophy victories in 2007.
However for 20-year head coach Larry McKay, the future looks
promising as 12 Wesmen players were in their first or second
campaigns.
"I wouldn't call it a rebuilding year, but it's great to make this
tournament any year. It's very difficult to make this tournament
unless you're hosting and we're thrilled every year that we've
managed to qualify for it," said McKay.
On the surface, all three sets looked tight, but Thompson Rivers
led from start to finish in the opening and third frames, while
Winnipeg led only five times in the second frame, and never held a
multiple-point lead.
"Today's game is really about our senior players," added McKay.
"They had an opportunity to play in a national championship in
their fifth year. They aren't happy with the result obviously, but
they are happy with the fact they got a chance to play in the final
tournament. It's a nice way for them to finish out their
careers."
Like Ahow, opposite Paul Kjos finished his five-year university
career on Saturday.
One area Thompson Rivers clearly dominated was with their
blocking. They were able to use their blocks to defend well, and
they were able to score multiple points off the block.
They finished the game with a 21-4 advantage at the net.
"We played well enough in the first half of all three sets, but in
the last half, we made too many errors and the Wolf Pack team is
very strong and they capitalized on them," said McKay. "You have to
give full marks to them."
STATS LEADERS
Thompson Rivers
Kills: Josh Boruck (13), Gord Perrin (10), Conor Eatch (8)
Blocks: Conor Eatch (7) Josh Boruck (4), Martin Korsbak (3)
Digs: Colin Jaggard (8), Kyle Doren (6)
Assists: Colin Jaggard (34)
Player of the match: Josh Boruck
Winnipeg
Kills: Andrew Town (11), Alan Ahow (7), Paul Kjos (4)
Blocks: Alan Ahow (1), Justin Duff (1), Maurice Williams (1)
Digs: Paul Kjos (5), Andrew Town (4)
Assists: Daniel Lother (26)
Player of the match: Alan Ahow
