Wesmen stand in way of TRU trip to nationals

By MARK HUNTER, Daily News Sports Reporter
February 16 2007

The naivete of the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men's volleyball team may be a good thing heading into its best-of-three playoff series with the Winnipeg Wesmen.

If the WolfPack manages to upset the Wesmen (14-4) in two games this weekend, TRU will be in the national championship, to be played at McMaster University in Hamilton, March 2-4.

Pat Hennelly - Two victories from nationals

"We keep talking about being two wins away," said TRU head coach Pat Hennelly. "Two wins away from nationals. I don't even think the guys realize how big that is, and maybe that's a good thing."
 
 
The WolfPack secured its first playoff berth last weekend with a victory over the Calgary Dinos to improve to 6-12. TRU spent the first part of this week practising before bussing to Kelowna on Wednesday night and flying to Winnipeg on Thursday.

The teams play tonight and Saturday, with a deciding match, if needed, scheduled for Sunday.

And the WolfPack was a confident bunch before it headed to Winnipeg for the third time in six weeks. TRU lost a pair of games to the host Wesmen on Jan. 12 and 13, before splitting with the Manitoba Bisons on Jan.26 and 27.

The two losses to the Wesmen still sting the TRU players, who had a chance for an upset Jan. 12, but, in Hennelly's estimation, "blew it."

TRU was up late in the first set, but lost 25-21, then blew a 24-21 lead in the second and lost 28-26.
 
"Of the teams they could have played, this is the team the guys wanted to play," Hennelly said. "I think the guys want another shot at it - we know we let Winnipeg off the hook."

But Hennelly saw plenty of good things to build on from that weekend. The WolfPack played Winnipeg's best players, and played them point-for-point in the Jan. 12 match and even won the first set in the Jan. 13 match.

The WolfPack has a fairly simple game plan for the weekend - get the ball into the hands of rookie outside hitter Robin Schoebel, who stands 6-foot-7.

"We're going to have to set Schoebel a lot, both of their leftside blockers (Richard Wiebe and Andrew Town) are not very good blockers," said Hennelly, pointing out that neither Wiebe nor Town is taller than 6-foot-4.

"Schoebel can have a good night against them, they're not the physical 6-foot-6 guys that can really cause him problems at the net."

And the season of Hennelly's young team is riding on the weekend. If it wins, it'll be in the final four in Canada West, playing a semifinal series.

And since all four semifinalists get spots at the national tournament in Hamilton, the winner of this series gets a trip to the big dance.

"The idea for us to start thinking about nationals and making plans," Hennelly said, "is a little bit ridiculous, but I don't think the guys realize how huge it would be for us to get to nationals."