WOLFPACK IN ‘DO OR DIE’ AGAINST DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS AT 2010 CIS FINALS March 11, 2010
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(A. Snucins photo)
It’s the ‘calm before the storm’ for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s volleyball team. Pat Hennelly and his crew have one last practice before hitting the floor on Friday night (Mar 12) at the 2010 CIS Men’s Volleyball Nationals.
Their challenge is a daunting one. Their opponents will be the two time defending national champions and three time Canada West title holders: The University of Alberta Golden Bears.
“We are used to being in a tough conference, playing tough games,” says Hennelly. “ I think it is unfortunate for both teams that we have to meet each other so soon at a national championship. We aren’t focusing on how we played against Alberta in the past.”
Historically, the WolfPack have never beaten Alberta. The last time the teams met came last weekend (Sat Mar 6) at the Canada West final four. The Bears came out on top in four sets (25-18,23-25,25-17,25-20). “I think we were trying to be too perfect,” the ‘Pack coach explained. “ We were trying to do things which were outside of our norm. Our goal tomorrow is to relax, play to our potential and cut down on our errors. We need to be good at our side of the net and serve hard from the line and hope the crowd will be the ‘x’ factor to push us over the top.”
Yes, the crowd. The proverbial seventh man could possibly be the factor which sways the outcome. TRU is playing at home. A large and boisterous crowd is expected. The WolfPack have been promoting this National Championships for the last year and slowly, but surely Kamloops has become more and more of a volleyball community. TRU has played before over a thousand people more than once this season. Friday night (Mar 12) should be no different.
“Whenever we have had a big crowd, our guys fed off of it,” he says. “ Against Brandon, the crowd was on them when they served and we were doing well. Even if we get that level of fan interaction, it’ll be a big advantage. The more people that come out to support us, the more chance we have of being successful.”
Hennelly knows that his big guns—first team All-Canadian Gord Perrin (3rd year, outside hitter, Creston, BC), CIS rookie of the year Kevin Tillie (1st year, left side, Cagnes Sur Mer, France), Robin Schoebel (4th year, outside hitter, Monaco) and Behlul Yavasgel (5th year, middle/outside, Aydin, Turkey) will be counted on heavily. He is hoping some of his lesser lights step up their play, and will need them to in order to stay on the championship side of the draw.
“Laval, Alberta and Dalhousie are very good teams.” he explains. “ They are the top three seeds and we knew that we were going to get one of them. We absolutely need someone to come through. Joel Caschetto (4th year, middle, White Rock, BC) was big in the Canada West quarterfinals against Brandon. Whenever you get someone else contributing , it takes the pressure of the big four. To be national champion, you need to have players come off the bench and perform beyond expectations. Ten per cent more offensive output or one less mental error from a player could make a difference.”
Hennelly adds that his team has geared up all year to play in the spotlight against a top team: and everything they’ve worked on comes down to that big match on Friday.
Other first round match ups at the CIS Nationals have Montreal against Laval (1 pm Fri Mar 12), Queen’s taking on Trinity Western (3 pm March 12), and Calgary facing Dalhousie (8 pm Fri Mar 12). The WolfPack/Bears tilt is set for 6 pm.
SIDE OUTS: There are still a number of tickets available for the weekend. The WolfPack have invited the Kamloops Taiko Drummers to perform at their match on Friday. The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets of Kamloops will be the color guard before the match as well.
The match will be broadcast via the internet on: www.SSNCanada.ca http://www.ssncanada.ca/
TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETICS: PROUD HOSTS OF THE 2010 CIS MENS NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS-MARCH 12-14 TH TOURNAMENT CAPITAL CENTER, KAMLOOPS BC.
WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index http://francais.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index
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