Volleyball Tigers off to bronze medal game
Brett Boldon earned Mikasa Player of the Game honours in the Tigers 3-0 loss to Trinity Western in U SPORTS semifinal action Saturday night in Vancouver.
VANCOUVER – The top-seeded Trinity Western Spartans earned a statement semi-final sweep over the No. 5 Dalhousie Tigers 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-12) in the U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship, presented by Mikasa at War Memorial Gym, as they took one step closer to defending their national title.
After a slow start, the Spartans evened the first at 11-11 and took a 16-15 lead with a Meaghan Mealey kill through the Dalhousie block. The Tigers kept pace and briefly drew even at 19-19, but TWU settled in and closed out the set with a huge solo block from Mealey. The Canada West champion Spartans held a comfortable 20-11 lead in the second and secured the set on a first touch kill by Ansah Odoom, before booking their ticket to the national championship game in a tidy third set.
Kaylee Plouffe had an outstanding performance – hitting at a .722 clip with 13 kills and four blocks to lead TWU, Mealey put up 14 kills, three aces, and three blocks, while Mikayla Benterud totalled nine kills with three blocks in the decisive victory. Brett Boldon led the Tigers with five kills, 16 assists, and three blocks, and Lucy Glen-Carter finished with four kills and three aces in the loss.
The Spartans now await the winner of No. 7-seeded UBC vs. No. 6 Manitoba in the finals on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific), while Dalhousie will face the loser of the Thunderbirds vs. Bisons in the bronze medal game at 2:00 p.m. (Pacific) Sunday at War Memorial Gym.
Mikasa Players of the Game
- Dalhousie: Brett Boldon
- Trinity Western: Kaylee Plouffe