Winnipeg — The Canada West champion Spartans tied the match 1-1 with a dominant second set effort, but the Bears responded by eeking out the third set 26-24. Alberta took momentum into the four set, scoring the first four points, and never trailed en route to winning the national title.
The match marked the Spartans sixth straight season playing in the national final, with TWU now owning three gold medals and three silver medals since 2015.
Middel Jordan Schnitzer (Surrey, B.C.) was dominant from the middle, earning 14 kills and hitting .600. Brodie Hofer (Langley) added a team-high 16 kills while Jackson Howe (Calgary) had eight kills and hit .700. Setter Derek Epp (Saskatoon) had 40 assists and four kills.
Isaac Heslinga added 13 kills and Max Elgert had 35 assists for Alberta.
Alberta recorded a .344 hitting percentage in the match, compared to Trinity Western's .356.
Of the Spartans starters, graduating seniors Colton Loewen, Howe, Epp and Schnitzer all played their final games as a Spartan.
TWU coach Ben Josepshon is also moving on, as he will start coaching Canada's men's national team, starting April 1.
The Spartans now have 13 U SPORTS medals, including six gold, five silver and two bronze.
See the full story on the TWU Spartans website:
TWU Spartans
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier global Christian liberal arts University. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.