LANGLEY, B.C. – The No. 8 ranked Trinity Western University women's volleyball team got their first win of the season and earned a weekend split with the No. 3 ranked University of Calgary Dinos with an impressive 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21) victory Saturday night at TWU's Langley, B.C. campus.

BOX SCORE

The Spartans used a balanced attack and dominated the net play as they out blocked the Dinos 13 to five to improve to 1-3, while handing Calgary (3-1) their first loss of the season.

The Spartans Danielle Foth (4th year, Abbotsford, B.C.) and Kim Klassen (4th year, Abbotsford, B.C.) split the TWU attack with five kills each in the first set as the Spartans opened the match with a 25-21 win. TWU led from start to finish. They jumped out to a 5-1 lead to start, led 8-5 and 16-10 at the breaks. The Dinos closed to two points, trailing 22-20, but were unable to catch Spartans. TWU finished with a 32% efficiency, while Calgary had 9%.

The second set was a carbon copy of the first. The Spartans used a balanced attack, with five players hitting for three kills each, to take a 2-0 lead with a 25-19 win. TWU once again led wire-to-wire. The Spartans led 8-4 and 16-9 at the breaks. The Dinos increased their attack percentage to 34% in the second set, but the Spartans went even higher to 43%.

The Dinos finally got things going in the third set. Calgary got their first lead of the match at 6-5 after a kill by Laura Wilson (Calgary). Calgary continued to play well as they took 8-5 and 16-9 leads at the breaks. The Dinos Sarah Lacny (Saskatoon) served back to back aces to put the visitors up 18-9. It looked like the set was done, but unlike last night the Spartans came storming back with a 14-5 run to tie the set at 23-23. However, the Dinos prevailed with a Julie Young (Red Deer, Alta.) kill and at TWU attack error to give Calgary the set 25-23.

The fourth set had the Spartans come storming out of the gate. They quickly took control of the set with a 6-1 run to open the game. TWU carried the momentum to the first break, up 8-3, and second break, up 16-10. The Spartans continued to be fired up as the set progressed. A step around kill and stuff block by Julie Koepke (5th year, Richmond, B.C.) gave TWU a 19-12 lead. The two teams exchanged points for the next four rallies. Calgary called a timeout after a Kim Klassen kill put TWU up 21-14. The Dinos Lindsey Doland (Calgary) and Lauren Perry (Taber, Alta.) combined to take the next three points and cut the TWU lead to 21-17. It was as close as the Dinos would get as TWU took the set and the match 25-21.

Kim Klassen with 14 kills, eight digs and five blocks and Dayna Jansen Van Doorn (5th year, Langley, B.C.) with 11 kills, five blocks and two aces led the Spartans, while Holly Harper (Lumsden, Sask.) with 13 kills and six digs and Laura Spence (Calgary) with 12 kills led the Dinos.

Next up for the Spartans is the University of Winnipeg Wesmen on Nov. 14-15 at TWU. The Dinos will now return home to take on the University of Manitoba on Nov. 15-16.

Match Notes: TWU middle's Julie Koepke and Dayna Jansen Van Doorn hit an impressive 64% and 52% respectively…Andrea Ball (3rd year, Abbotsford, B.C.) led all players with 13 digs…

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