WOLFPACK SWEEP WESMEN IN CIS MENS VB FINALS CONSOLATION SEMI

 

(Josh Boruck (right) and Conor Eatch (left) had great games for TRU)

For Immediate Release; February 28, 2009

Edmonton, Alta: In a test of character, the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack came out and swept the University of Winnipeg Wesmen in the consolation semi final at the 2009 CIS National Men's Volleyball Championships. The scores at the University of Alberta Main Gym were 25-22,25-23,25-20.

Both teams were coming off opening round quarterfinal losses. The Wesmen lost 3-0 to number two ranked Laval Rouge et Or while the WolfPack fell in five sets to the third ranked McMaster University Marauders.

"Last year was certainly the Cinderella story for us," said WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly "And when it is you like being together. But this certainly was a character building experience. If you want to play sport, sometimes you are bitterly disappointed but you need to respond. The message last nite was that if you got a uniform and you are on the court you represent something larger than yourself: WolfPack Athletics and Thompson Rivers University. If you step on the court you play hard."

Hennelly said his team's goals of winning a gold medal were crushed after Friday's (Feb 27) loss to McMaster. He asked all of his players to do some soul searching and to tell him before the Wesmen match whether or not they could play. He said to their credit, no one did.

The Wolfpack got a solid showing from CIS All Rookie team member Josh Boruck. The 1st year outside hitter from Revelstoke, BC had his second strong match against Winnipeg. In this match, he notched a team high 13 kills with six errors on 27 attempts. He also had three service aces and four block assists.

"We had a different mind set," said Boruck, who had 23 kills against the Wesmen in the TRU bronze medal win a week ago (Feb 21). " We were very ancy yesterday. It meant a lot and carried too much weight in our minds. Today we got down to the fun things--playing the sport that we love and have played for nine years. I think we played like we love it. It showed. We had a lot of fun today. Some people were struggling out there but we still had a good time."

When asked why the WolfPack beat the Wesmen on two straight weekends in the post season after being swept in the Canada West Regular Season, Boruck said." I think our pass and serve game has improved phenomenally since the beginning of the season. We beat them in that area handily today."

"Im really glad for Josh," said Hennelly. " There are times when he has played well against a team one night and then struggled the second night. He has really shown here his maturity. He wasn't even playing as well as he was last weekend, but he got stronger as the match went on today. He dealt with a few blocks and bad hits. He has really matured which is a great sign for Josh and our program."

Gord Perrin (2nd year, outside hitter, Creston, BC) had 10 kills in 19 attempts. Colin Jaggard (4th year, setter, Calgary, Alta) had 34 assists and a team high eight digs.

Winnipeg was led by Andrew Town (4th year, outside hitter, Winnipeg, MB) with 11 kills. Dan Lother (3rd year, setter,Winnipeg MB) had 26 assists. Opposite Paul Kjos (Ottawa, Ont), playing in his final CIS match had five digs.

"We had too many errors," said Wesmen coach Larry McKay. " The errors that we committed were ones that TRU didn't. If we played more error free we wouldn't have given up too many easy points."

Middle Conor Eatch (1st year, Aurora, Ont) saw a lot of court time in this one. He notched eight kills and one error in 11 attempts and had seven block assists. "It's been tough for Conor since the hernia surgery," said Hennelly. " The last time he played any great time was against Winnipeg in league play. It was nice to see him out there having fun and contributing since it has been a tough, long climb. He is starting to show why he was one of the top recruits in the country and was on his way to having a great season."

Hennelly says Eatch hopes to try out for the National Junior Team this summer. With the Jr National Team coach in attendance this weekend, he wanted Eatch to showcase his skills. He hopes that both Eatch and Boruck get long looks this summer along with Perrin, who is expected to be one of Canada's top players at the World Championships.

SIDE OUTS: TRU outblocked Winnipeg 10.5 to 4. They also outdug the Wesmen 27-23. The victory prolongs the CIS career of the lone WolfPack 5 th year player. Outside hitter Andy Haley (Stony Plain, Alta) had six kills on 15 attempts with five errors. He also had five digs.

"We relied more on our skills than worried about what they were going to do," said Haley who said Hennelly's message of going out on a winning note sunk in. " I think that is what pushed us through. We stuck together as a team and get to play for one more day."

The WolfPack will take on Dalhousie in the fifth place match. Dalhousie eliminated the University of New Brunswick 3-0 in their semi final. The scores were 25-11, 25-21,25-16.  Its the second straight year the two teams have met at the CIS finals. TRU beat Dalhousie in five sets in 2008 to win the bronze medal.