MVB gets help from International Coach September 30, 2009
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Dr. Ohm
By Mark Hunter (Kamloops Daily News, Sept 24, 2009 re printed by permission)
The TRU WolfPack will go into the Canada West men’s volleyball season
with a rookie starting at setter, the most important position on the
floor.
In a strange twist of fate, the WolfPack also has one of the top
setting coaches in the world helping Colin Carson make the adjustment
from high school to university ball.
It’s an important season for the WolfPack, which is to play host to
the CIS championship March 12-14, but also one of transition.
The WolfPack will start the season with six rookies, including Carson,
who is penciled in to start at setter.
Head coach Pat Hennelly has enlisted the help of Dr. Han-Joo Eom, a
world-renowned setting expert who is taking a one-year sabbatical from
his job at SKK University in Korea.
“It’s a tremendous help,” said Hennelly after a Wednesday practice at
the Tournament Capital Centre. “For me, it’s a sense of security that
I can focus on other young guys.”
With Hennelly’s main assistant, Chad Grimm, unable to make many
practices due to his job as a substitute teacher, Eom has become a
vital piece of the TRU puzzle.
“We don’t have (Grimm) here as much,” Hennelly said, “but having Dr.
Eom here is almost more than having a full-time assistant. I’ve got a
wealth of knowledge at my disposal with him.”
The WolfPack, which is to open the Canada West regular season on Oct.
31, is scheduled to play a doubleheader against the UBC Thunderbirds,
with the first match going tonight in Vernon and the second on Friday,
7:30 p.m., at the TCC.
Eom is doing his best to help Carson, who is from Prince George, make
a smooth transition into the top university volleyball league in Canada.
“What I am telling these guys — I just teach them the fundamentals,”
said Eom, who has a PhD in applied statistics. “If they have the
fundamentals, they have to develop their own characteristics, which we
expect them to do.”
Eom played on the Korean national team from 1978 to 1983, but as a
middle blocker. He said he always practised with setters, being that
the two positions are somewhat closely aligned, and picked up some
knowledge from them.
“The middle blocker is almost like a second setter,” he said. “And,
when you are a middle blocker, you have to figure out what the other
team’s setter is doing. You’ve got to figure out his form, his
intentions and what direction he’s going to set the ball.”
The WolfPack might be getting some help at setter. Hennelly is working
to get a visa approved for a Venezuelan rookie, and Colin Jaggard, who
started for the WolfPack last season, is taking six classes this
semester in hopes of becoming eligible to play in the second half of
the season.
Jaggard currently is practising with the WolfPack.
“There is some good competition between those guys,” Eom said. “Pat
asked me to put some pressure on the young guys — these are the guys
who are going to start the first game.”
MVB OFF TO GRANDE PRAIRIE September 30, 2009
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WolfPack Rookie Matt Krueger
There is nothing like a long bus trip for teammates to bond. That is one of the goals this week as the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s volleyball team hits the road. The WolfPack will be travelling to Grande Prairie Alberta to meet up with the University of Calgary Dinos.
For WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly, it is the first time he has travelled to Northern Alberta to play volleyball. “I hear it is a hotbed,” says Hennelly. “ They have a very competitive senior boys team there this year with a number of prospects. This is a great chance to sell CIS, Canada West and our sport.”
Hennelly’s WolfPack, which is in the midst of a major restructuring, is coming off two exhibition losses to UBC last weekend. With such a young squad, it might be good to do a little bonding.
“For me, preseason is about testing yourself,” says Hennelly. “This past week, we went to Vernon and played UBC, got on the bus and came home at 1 am. Eight hours later we were out helping with Terry Fox Runs. I like to see how people react to stress. Travelling 12 hours on a bus will be a good test for our squad.”
Hennelly says neither squad will have a definite travel advantage. The coach of the Dinos, Rod Durrant hails from the Grande Prairie area as well—with is another reason why the two teams are travelling to the area. “Rod was good enough to tour through the Kootenays last season for us,” says Hennelly. “It is our time to reciprocate.” The Dinos also have three players with ties to the area—including Ciarian McGovern—who played with the Canadian Junior National team.
The WolfPack plan to spend Thursday night in Jasper before heading to Grande Prairie for matches Friday (Oct 2) and Saturday (Oct 3).
TRU will take its entire roster to Grande Prairie, which means fans in the area will see one of the captains of that Junior National Team (Gord Perrin of Creston, BC) and a member of the bronze medal winning Canadian entry at this summer’s Maccabiah Games (Kyle Donen of White Rock, BC)
Both matches in Grande Prairie are 8 pm (MDT) starts at Grande Prairie Regional College.
The WolfPack will take Thanksgiving weekend off before hosting Trinity Western at the Tournament Capital Center in pre-season play October 23 rd.
WOLFPACK WOMENS SOCCER MOVE UP, MEN STAY THE SAME IN CCAA RANKINGS September 29, 2009
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The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack soccer teams remain in the top five in the Canadian College Athletic Association rankings. A victory over the UNBC Timberwolves have moved the WolfPack women’s squad from fifth spot to fourth.
Defending National Champion Langara College Falcons remain first followed by the Humber Hawks of Ontario. Lionel Groulx Nordiques of the FQSE are third. All three of those schools were in the same positions last week. Concordia Thunder of Alberta (ACAC) are fifth. The only other BC College Athletic Association squad in the top ten rankings are VIU Mariners. They are 10 th this week, down from seventh.
On the men’s side, a tie with UNBC kept the WolfPack entrenched in third spot in the CCAA Rankings for another week. Defending National Champion Capilano University Blues (BCCAA) are first. Concordia Thunder of Alberta (ACAC) have moved from fourth place to second, exchanging spaces with the Sheridan Bruins of Ontario. Lionel Groulx Nordiques (FQSE) have moved from ninth spot to fifth. The other BCCAA team in the top ten are the Douglas College Royals. They are sixth this week—down from fifth the week previous.
The WolfPack have two matches this coming weekend. They are visiting the UBCO Heat in Kelowna on Saturday (Oct 3) before hosting the Heat at Hillside Stadium on Sunday (Oct4). The women play at noon with the men at 2 pm. It’s the final regular season home matches for both squads.
BASEBALL GOES TO 500 IN THE FALL AFTER WIN OVER VIBI September 29, 2009
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Danny Moore was the winning pitcher
The Fall record of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack has evened up at 5 wins and 5 losses after the ‘Pack downed the Vancouver Island Baseball Institute 8-1. It was the WolfPack’s fourth game at the Okanagan College Cubs Fall Tournament.
The WolfPack scored four runs in the first and four runs in the second en route to the victory. Danny Moore (RHP, Victoria, BC) pitched a complete game for the victory. He had four strikeouts, one walk, gave up six hits and one earned run.
Dave Hole(Catcher, Vancouver, BC) had a pair of singles and 3 RBI. Jimmy Semaschuk (Whitehorse, YT) had two hits.
The WolfPack now wind up the tournament with a game against the host Cubs Sunday (Sept 27) evening.
Sonmez: CCAA MEN’S FEATURED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK September 29, 2009
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NAME: Erkut Sonmez
INSTITUTION: Thompson Rivers University Wolf Pack
SPORT: Men’s Soccer
YEAR: 4th
ACADEMIC PROGRAM: Business
HIGH SCHOOL: Atakoa Cmh Highschool – Istanbul, Turkey
IMPRESSIVE STATS:
Erkut Sonmez (white) is the CCAA featured player of the week for September 28, 2009
Erkut appeared in 12 regular season and all five post season matches in 2008.He had one goal (Sept 7, 2008) at home to UBCO. He moved to Canada to get a better education and is part of the TRU World program. His greatest sports moment was when he was selected to play top level soccer in his hometown of Istanbul. He would most like to have dinner with U.S. President Barak Obama
Erkut was nominated for the BCCAA Athlete of the week for Sept 14-20 for his stellar play against Douglas College and Kwantlen. But it was his play on the Sunday (Sept 20) where Erkut (or “cooter” as he is affectionately known by his teammates) really shone. It could have been the fact a large contingent of Turkish students were in the stands, or the fact that when teammate Conor Doherty went down with an injury, Erkut took a leadership role.
Sonmez had two goals–including a beautiful one where he took the ball off his foot on a corner kick (in the air), turned and directed it past the Kwantlen keeper. He had actually scored three goals in the contest–one was called back on a near off side. In addition to those goals, he also added an assist as the WolfPack remained unbeaten this BCCAA season.
Erkut has taken the leadership role in another vein. The WolfPack have a first year back up keeper from Turkey on their roster this year. Erkut is helping this player adjust to life in Canada and on the soccer pitch by helping to translate the coaches instructions.
“In our opinion, Erkut Sonmez is a shining example of what we want all our athletes to be–solid on the field, a good teammate and a solid citizen.” Larry Read, Sports Information Officer, TRU Wolf Pack