CALGARY – Led by Piers de Greeff, who had a career-high 27 kills, the No. 7-ranked Trinity Western Spartans rallied to beat Calgary in five sets, winning 23-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 15-11 Friday at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
The Spartans trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before winning the fourth and fifth sets to earn their third straight five-set victory. The win, which came on the heels of back-to-back five-set wins over then No. 1-ranked Alberta, improves the Spartans to 10-5.
De Greeff had a night to remember, as he hit .561 with 27 kills and just four attacking errors on 41 attempts. His 27 kills bettered his previous career high of 21 kills which he tallied Jan. 6, 2024 against Mount Royal. TWU setter Anselm Rein had 44 assists, while earning four kills. Kaden Schmidt, who was the Canada West Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week last week, had 11 kills, five aces and a team-high seven digs.
Calgary had four player hit double digits for kills, led by Cole Czepuryk and Louis Kunstmann, who had 13 apeice. The loss drops the Dions to 5-10.
TWU hit. 360 as a team, while Calgary hit .368. TWU had an 11-4 edge in aces while Calgary outblocked the Spartans 10-5.
QUOTABLE Adam Schriemer, TWU Head Coach
“It’s always a fun time playing in the Jack Simpson Gymnasium. We’ve had three matches in a row where we win the match based off our terminal serve ratio, which I think it great because it’s something we can control. But I do think over the last 15 sets we’ve played, our opponents we’re probably better than us for the majority of the match in the first ball and transition phases. So I think we have to clean that up. I thought we were great today in first ball, but it was our opponents who were really tough to stop. I think we need to clean up some things with our block defence and see how we can slow down their middles and outsides a bit, but it was a gutsy win on the road and we’re happy about it.
“Individually, Piers was incredible tonight. He had the best performance of his career. It was awesome to see him play at such a high level throughout the whole match.”
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Dinos will play the rematch Saturday at 4 p.m. (MT) at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
NOTABLE
• After starting the semester with a pair of three-set losses to Manitoba, TWU has now won three in a row in five sets.
• The Spartans have won 20 straight matches against Calgary.
• TWU’s last loss against the Dinos was Feb. 26, 2016 in Game 1 of the Canada West Quarter-Finals. After that loss, TWU won seven straight matches on their way to winning both the Canada West and U SPORTS Championships.
• TWU is now 55-28 all-time against the Dinos.
AS IT HAPPENED
The 1st set started with both teams exchanging points closely, with the Dinos initially taking a narrow lead. Trinity Western responded with a series of successful plays, including a kill by Cory Schoenherr at 2-1 and another by Schmidt at 3-3. The Spartans managed to pull ahead with a service ace from De Greeff, bringing the score to 9-7. Despite this, Calgary regained momentum, resulting in a series of points that pushed their lead to 16-12, prompting a timeout by Trinity Western. The Spartans made a late push with a service ace by Schmidt narrowing the gap to 24-23, but Calgary secured the set 25-23 with a final kill from Jackson Meier.
In the second set, Trinity Western took an early lead with a kill by Jackson Corneil. A significant momentum shift occurred when Schmidt delivered three consecutive service aces, increasing the Spartans score from 4-4 to 7-4. Following a timeout by the Dinos, Trinity Western maintained their advantage, with De Greeff frequently scoring, including a final kill that sealed the set at 25-17 in favour of the Spartans.
In the third set, Trinity Western showed a competitive edge with notable contributions from De Greeff, who secured four kills. Schoenherr added to the effort with a service ace, pushing the Spartans ahead 5-3 early in the set. A service ace from Willem Van Huizen brought the Spartans to 23-20, but Calgary ultimately closed the set with a 25-21 victory.
In the fourth set, Trinity Western began with strong offensive play, as Schmidt secured the first point with a kill. De Greeff followed with a notable performance, contributing several key kills, including one at 7-6 that broke a tie. Schmidt also made a significant impact with consecutive kills at 10-9 that extended the lead, and later, his efforts, alongside De Greeff’s final kill at 24-21, helped secure the set with a score of 25-22 for the Spartans.
In the fifth set, Trinity Western secured a 15-11 victory against the Dinos. The Spartans displayed strong performances, with De Greeff contributing key kills, notably scoring at 3-2 and 5-3. The Spartans capitalized on Calgary’s service errors, which helped maintain their lead, including an error at 8-5. Kaden Schmidt and Cory Schoenherr were instrumental in blocking attempts, with Schmidt assisting in a crucial block at 13-10, helping to solidify the win.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women’s rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men’s rugby and women’s and men’s disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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