WOLFPACK PLAYERS FINISH UP AMONG CANADA WEST STAT LEADERS February 15, 2010
Posted by lread in Men's Basketball, Men's Volleyball, Women's Volleyball.add a comment
Kevin Tillie was the best in the Canada West when it came to service aces (A. Snucins photo)
The 2009-10 Canada West regular season has now officially closed. Although only one team from Thompson Rivers Univeristy has made it to the playoffs, there are a number of personal accomplishments from the teams to be proud of.
Three WolfPack athletes finished on top in individual catagories. In men’s volleyball, Colin Carson (1st year, setter, Prince George, BC) was the Canada West assist leader. He had 722 in 67 sets averaging 10.78 per game. Kevin Tillie (1st year, left side, Cagnes Sur Mer, France) was tops in Service Aces (30 in 67 sets for an 0.45 per set average).
In men’s basketball, Greg Stewart (4th year, forward, Kamloops, BC) was the top rebounder (57 offensive, 138 defensive for 195 and an average of 11.5 per game). He also had the most blocked shots in the Canada West (43 in 17 games averaging 2.53 per game). Jeff Friesen (5th year, forward, Duncan, BC) led the league in minutes played (639 through 18 games, averaging 35.50 minutes per game.
There were a number of WolfPack athletes who figured prominently in the year end stats. In men’s volleyball: Gord Perrin (3rd year, outside hitter, Creston, BC) and Tillie were second and third in Kills (Perrin 309 in 66 sets for a 4.68 average, Tillie had 250 kills in 67 sets for a 3.73 average). They were also second and third in points (Perrin had 342 for a 5.18 per game average, Tillie had 295 points for a 4.40 average). Carson was sixth in service ages (17 in 67 games for an average of 0.25 per game).
Anna Dyakiewicz (3rd year, outside hitter, Burnaby, BC) was second in women’s volleyball in kills (247 in 71 sets averaging 3.48 points per set). She was also sixth in points (274 averaging 3.86 per game).
In men’s basketball: Sean Garvey (5th year, guard, Kamloops, BC) was seventh in league scoring (319 points in 18 games averaging 17.7 points per game) and second in three point shots made (61 in 18 games for an average of 3.39 per game. Friesen was seventh in rebounding (39 offense, 98 defence for 137 in 18 games averaging 7.6 rebounds per game). Drew Bleth (5th year, guard, Ridgeview, Wash) was second in free throw percentage (40 of 47 in 18 games for a percentage of .851).
The WolfPack men’s volleyball team opens up the Canada West Quarterfinals on the road in Brandon on February 26 th.
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
WVB CLOSE OUT SEASON WITH LOSS TO TRINITY February 13, 2010
Posted by lread in Women's Volleyball.add a comment
(A. Snucins photo)
The 2009-10 Canada West season ended the way it began for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s volleyball squad. Despite some flashes of brilliance, the WolfPack wound up on the short end of a decision. Saturday night (Feb 13), at the Tournament Capital Center, they fell 3-0 to the Trinity Western Spartans. The scores were 25-15,25-11,25-17.
The Spartans finish the season at 13 and 7 with the WolfPack concluding regular season play at 1 and 19.
“ We had pretty much checked out from the start,” said WolfPack head coach Cal Wohlford. “ We never had any passion or desire. One player said we were already thinking about reading break before we were even there. It was a little disappointing.”
For the Spartans, they needed to sweep TRU in order to assure themselves a hosting spot in the Canada West quarterfinals.
The first set saw Trinity go on a pair of 4-0 runs to lead 4-1 and then 8-2 by the first technical time out en route to the victory.
In the second, again a 5-0 run to make the score 9-1 and then a 4-0 run with the score 9-2 were Trinity’s success.
The WolfPack faired better in the third set. Down 5-1, they closed the deficit to 5-4. And then went on a 3-0 run with Trinity up 19-11. But Trinity scored five of the matches final seven points to garner the victory.
Trinity was led by Kara JansenVanDoorn (4th year, outside hitter, Langley, BC). She had 11 kills in 30 chances with four service aces and seven digs. Lauren O’Reilly (3rd year, setter, Langley, BC) contributed 16 assists. Andrea Ball (4th year, libero/DS, Abbotsford, BC) had 16 digs.
Anna Dyakiewicz (3rd year, outside hitter, Burnaby, BC) had seven kills in 34 chances for TRU. Ashley Koehn (1st year, left side, Surrey, BC) had six kills in 25 opportunities.. Lindsey Niminikin (5th year, setter, South Slocan, BC) had 13 assists with Ashley Shannik (5 th year, libero, Kamloops, BC) contributing 10 digs to the cause.
Wohlford experimented with his line up and was impressed with how they played. “ A couple of the rookies went in and played decently,” he said. “Anna had a decent match but had no one really backing her up at times.”
After the match, The WolfPack honored both Niminikin and Shannik for their contributions. “ We had different players playing different positions, so there was a lot of nerves out there,” she said about her final match. “ Personally, I was pretty nervous because it was my last game. As the match went on, I thought we started to relax a bit.”
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
TRINITY DOWNS TRU IN FIRST OF TWO WVB WEEKEND TILTS. February 12, 2010
Posted by lread in Women's Volleyball.add a comment
Ashley Koehn was named the TRU Bookstore "Leader of the Pack" (A. Snucins photo)
On a night to remember for British Columbians, it was one to forget for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s volleyball team. With the province celebrating the start of the 2010 Olympics, the WolfPack opened up the final weekend of their 2009-10 Canada West regular season with a 3-0 loss to the visiting Trinity Western Spartans. The scores at the Tournament Capital Center in Kamloops, BC were 25-18, 25-18, 25-19 in favour of Trinity.
The Spartans move to 12 and 7 on the year while the WolfPack’s modest one game winning streak is over. They fall to 1 and 18.
“I’m disappointed with the way we came out tonite,” said TRU head coach Cal Wohlford. “We had no emotion. Luckally, Ashley Koehn (1st year, left side, Surrey, BC) and Elise (Foot, 1st year, middle, Prince George, BC) stepped up and played well. We had spurts in the game but a little too late.”
Koehn had eight kills in 21 chances with four digs. Foot had three kills in eight opportunities and a solo block.
The first set saw Trinity go on a 7-0 run with the score tied at two. Down 23-10 in that set, the ‘Pack rattled off four points to cut the margin to 23-15.
The second set saw the Spartans score the first four points of the match and roll to the win.
The third set was TRU’s strongest. They were up 4-1 but gave the lead away at 6-4 when the Spartans went on a 4-0 lead to go up 9-7. TRU couldn’t recover.
The Spartans were led by Kara JansenVanDoorn (4th year, outside hitter, Langley, BC) with 14 kills in 33 chances. She added five digs and five block assists. Amy Lescheid (2nd year, outside hitter, East Selkirk, Man) had 11 kills in 15 chances. Lauren O’Reilly (3rd year, setter, Langley, BC) had 24 assists with Chelsea Hudson (3rd year, setter, Winnipeg, Man) adding 14 digs.
TRU was led by Anna Dyakiewicz (3rd year, outside hitter, Burnaby, BC) with 10 kills in 22 chances. Kristen Knudskov (1st year, setter, Edmonton, Alta) had 31 assists. Ashley Shannik (5th year, libero, Kamloops, BC) contributed 13 digs.
Trinity coach Ryan Hofer thought his team looked sharp. “ TRU is a scrappy team and I knew we had to fight, he said. “ I thought our setters did a good job and our outsides did what they had to do and our middles did very well.”
Hofer is looking for the sweep this weekend in order to host a Canada West playoff date. “We want to take care of business, but I expect another tough match from TRU tomorrow.”
The two teams meet again Saturday (Feb 13) at 5 pm at the Tournament Capital Center.
The WolfPack will honor their two fifth year players: Shannik and setter Lindsey Niminikin (South Slocan, BC) after the match.
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
WOLFPACK WVB PREPARE FOR FINAL WEEKEND OF REGULAR SEASON VS TWU February 12, 2010
Posted by lread in Women's Volleyball.add a comment
Brittany Bureau and Anna Dyakiewicz go to block (A. Snucins)
No better time to get onto a winning streak. That’s what the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s volleyball team is thinking as they enter the final weekend of the 2009-10 Canada West season.
Hot on the heels of their victory over the Simon Fraser Clan on Saturday (Feb 6), the 1-17 WolfPack will play host to the Trinity Western Spartans (11-7) at the Tournament Capital Center on Friday and Saturday nights (Feb 12-13).
“It was nice to get that win finally,” said WolfPack head coach Cal Wohlford. “I think the girls will be a little more relaxed to play this weekend. We are still working hard at practice and want to play hard and finish off the season the best we can.”
Wohlford believes that the ‘Pack match up pretty well with the Spartans. “ They have some strong outside hitters and a really good setter. I think our offense and out speed will work well and we serve pretty tough. They will be good matches. It’ll come down to keeping our heads in the game. But having the “monkey off our back’ by winning will do wonders.”
Anna Dyakiewicz (3rd year, outside hitter, Burnaby, BC) goes into the weekend second in the Canada West in kills (230, averaging 3.54 per game) and fifth in points (256 averaging 3.94 per game).
Trinity is led by Andrea Ball (4th year, libero/DS Abbotsford, BC) who is the Canada West leader in digs (279 averaging 3.93 per game). Kara Jansen Vandoorn (4th year, outside hitter, Langley, BC) is sixth in kills (223 averaging 3.19 per game) and sixth in points (268 with an average of 3.83 per game). Another player to watch on Trinity is Ismay Schon (3rd year, middle, Langley, BC) who is third in the Canada West in blocks (1 solo block, 49 assists, averaging 1.11 per game).
Wohlford says that with an eye to next year, he’ll do some experimenting. “We’ll go with our starters on Friday. We’ll see how it goes. On Saturday, I definitely want to get some people court time especially at middle.”
Match times on Friday and Saturday will be 6 pm (Fri Feb 12) and 5 pm (Sat Feb 13)
The WolfPack will honor their graduating seniors: 5th year setter Lindsey Niminikin (South Slocan, BC) and libero/setter Ashley Shannik (Kamloops, BC) before Saturday’s match.
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
SHANNIK AND NIMINIKEN SET TO PLAY FINAL CIS MATCHES February 11, 2010
Posted by lread in Women's Volleyball.add a comment
Ashley Shannik
Lindsey Niminikin
As the curtain comes down on the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women’s volleyball season this weekend, so too does it on the CIS career of two of their players. Ashley Shannik (Kamloops, BC) and Lindsey Niminiken (South Slocan, BC) will be playing the final two matches of their five year eligibility when the ‘Pack entertain Trinity Western University Spartans on Friday and Saturday (Feb 12 and 13).
“It really hasn’t hit me yet and I don’t think it will until after the match on Saturday and the next couple of weeks when the season is over,” says Niminiken, who joined the program in 2008-09 after playing BC College Volleyball at Selkirk and the College of the Rockies. “ I’m just looking forward to playing this weekend and leaving it all on the court one last time.”
“I’m a little disappointed we didn’t do better on the court,” Shannik explains. Shannik returned to playing with the WolfPack program after spending the previous two years as an assistant. She had also played four years at the University of PEI where she was an AUS All-Star.
Both agree that the team’s season (1-17) has been a tough one for them personally. Niminken has battled back injuries from the start of the season. “ Actually, its probably the toughest season I’ve had,” the setter stated. “ Battling an injury throughout the year and not being able to play as much as I would like has been rough. But, I really wouldn’t change it because I’ve been able to help out the younger teammates during games and practice. “
“It’s been an extremely trying season with the number of losses we’ve received,” Shannik explains. “ Several games we were ‘in’ but didn’t have any killer instinct’ to push for the victory. But Shannik did love the time she spent with her teammates. “This is a very unique bunch of girls, with very different personalities. I”ll truly miss those who worked hard for their improvements, no matter how small. The players who have ‘cared” about the team’s performance on a daily basis are the athletes I’ll miss along with those that worked every practice (many of whom who didn’t see the floor this year). They didn’t coast, but worked day in and day out to become better, improve their skills and hopefully lead this team in a different direction as they look forward to a fresh start next season.”
Shannik found herself in a unique situation. Being involved heavily in the Kamloops Volleyball community, she had coached three of her teammates (rookies Emily Bootle, Lisa Sootheran and Lindsay Uppenborn) when they were in high school “ Its been difficult to ‘bite my tongue’ and not offer technical advice as a coach,” she laughed “ It was a strange transition for myself and my teammates.
As they move into the next phase of their lives (Shannik is pursuing a Masters in Education while Niminikin is in the Police and Justice program(RCMP)), they both say they will miss life in the CIS.
“Just being on a team was my greatest highlight,” says Niminiken. “ Knowing that you have a team that has your back no matter what, really what more can you ask for?. I’ve met some of my best friends playing this sport.
The WolfPack will honour the seniors before their match Saturday (Feb 13) th. That match begins at 5 pm.
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