The TWU Spartans took home gold and silver this weekend, as both the women’s and men’s volleyball teams won medals in their championship games.
On Sunday, the women’s Spartans won three matches to one (25-14, 14-25, 25-19, 25-20) over the Mount Royal Cougars in the gold medal game at the 2022 U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship from the Jack Simpson Gym at the University of Calgary.
The win gives the Spartans and head coach Ryan Hofer their second National Championship in program history, with their first coming back in the 2014-15 campaign.
TWU didn’t let the championship nerves get the best of them as they came out firing in the first set. The Spartans hit at a 0.478 clip in the first to easily take the opening set 25-14.
Powered by the support from a large contingent of Mount Royal fans, the Cougars bounced back to take the second set, before the Spartans flexed their muscles in the final two sets to take home the gold medal.
Meaghan Mealy, Avery Heppell and Savannah Purdy all finished with double-digit kills to secure the victory.
Heppell, who was named Championship MVP, led Trinity Western with 15.5 points as she finished with 11 kills and led the team in blocks with seven.
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Purdy led the Spartans in kills with 13, while Olivia Heinen dished out 36 assists.
The Spartans, who lost only one game all season, lived up to their top billing coming into the tournament.
On the men’s side, the Alberta Golden Bears lived up to their name and took home the gold medal, with TWU’s Spartans taking silver.
At the Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg, the Bears beat the Spartans 3-1 (25-22, 12-25, 26-24, 25-19) in the final game of the 2022 U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship on Sunday
Brodie Hofer had 16 kills and six service aces and Derek Epp added 40 assists in a losing cause for Trinity Western.
Alberta recorded a .344 hitting percentage in the match, compared to Trinity Western’s .356.
With the win, the Golden Bears take home their first gold medal since 2015 and finish with an overall record of 29-7. Taking home silver, the Spartans have now medaled in six consecutive U SPORTS championship tournaments.
Epp and Hofter were both named to the Championship All-Star Team.
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