For the first time in program history, the WolfPack women’s volleyball team earned a spot at the USport nationals, which were hosted by Trinity Western at the Langley Events Centre. The women pushed the second-seeded Sherbrooke Vert et Or to a hard-fought five-set game, but they fell 3-2.
Coming into the eight-seed tournament, the WolfPack were ranked seventh and faced the number-two seed, Sherbrooke. While the ‘Pack prepared to start their game in Langley, back on campus, WolfPack fans filled The Den for the nationals watch party.
In the first set, Maria Dancheva powered in five kills halfway through, helping the team stay in the set. At 9-7, a kill and a block from Dancheva, followed by an ace from Keira Gent, gave TRU their first lead in the set. The team traded points from there until Vert et Or took the lead back at 19-17 and eventually won the set 20-25.
In the second, the teams traded points until the ‘Pack took off on a 7-1 run to give themselves an 18-13 lead. The run featured two kills and a block by Dancheva. Tightening up their defence, the ‘Pack capitalized on multiple attacking opportunities, and with one final ace from Rida Erlalelitepe, they closed out the set 25-19.
With every point scored, cheers rang through The Den, and with one set under our belts, the energy shifted, as we were officially in the game.
The third set featured each team having its time to lead. However, in the last half of the set, it came down to a close race of who could get the winning points. Vert et Or was able to capitalize on some rallies at the end of the set and capture the third set 25-23.
The fourth set started off with Vert et Or taking a 3-0 lead. But the ‘Pack wasn’t going down without a fight. With the help of Hail Ward, Keira Gent, Dancheva and Erlalelitepe, who all recorded kills, the ‘Pack bit back, turning the tables to earn a 10-8 lead. The women didn’t let go of the lead until the score was 19-18, when Sherbrook capitalized on a lull in the women’s defence to go on a 3-0 run.
The game was on the line, and TRU had the set point at 24-23, but Vert et Or came back and fought off four points. It was during the match point battle that the livestream in The Den froze. Whispers of “OMG” stood out among the stunned crowd. After a minute that felt like ages, the screen returned to show Gent score the match point, sending the teams to a fifth set and prompting the afternoon’s loudest reaction from the TRU crowd.
The stress that filled the air in The Den was lifted, and cheers erupted. Heading into the fifth, all eyes fell on the TV, the crowd understanding that they could be watching history in the making for the ‘Pack.
As the WolfPack started the fifth set, third-year middle Myah Cressy dominated the court, helping the team to an 8-2 run. Though the ‘Pack had controlled the start, Sherbrooke flipped the momentum and fought back to take the lead 10-9. The teams tied up the set 13-13, and anxiety filled the air in The Den. Unfortunately, Sherbrook took the next two points, securing the victory and sending them to the next round, while ending a very hard-fought season for the WolfPack.
Rida Erlalelitepe recorded a game-high 20 attacks for TRU, while middle Maria Dancheva added 14 to go along with six blocks and a pair of service aces. Libby Meldrum also had a season high of 50 assists.
“This was one of those games where we were just trying to hang on longer than our opponents, because it wasn’t smooth, but it was just trying to hold on until the end,” Head Coach Chad Grimm said. “Obviously, we ran out to a pretty good lead in the fifth and then maybe got caught thinking too much about what may be to come. That’s the key lesson to take away from this match, is in those key moments, how do we manage our emotions, and how can we return to our baseline of skills and do what we have trained to do.”
The team then went on to take the Atlantic Champion Saint Mary’s Huskies in a consolation semifinal the next day; however, they lost 3-2.
Though the season has officially ended for the women, members of the team can hold their heads high knowing that, throughout the season, the WolfPack broke many program records, both as a team and by many players individually. As the best performing WolfPack athletics team, the girls not only made TRU proud but also the city of Kamloops.