Winnipeg – Trinity Western University will take home a silver medal from the 2022 U SPORTS Championship after losing to Alberta in the final 3-1 (25-22, 12-25, 26-24, 25-19) Sunday at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
The Canada West champion Spartans tied the match 1-1 with a dominant second set effort, but the Bears responded by eeking out the third set 26-24. Alberta took momentum into the four set, scoring the first four points, and never trailed en route to winning the national title.
The match marked the Spartans sixth straight season playing in the national final, with TWU now owning three gold medals and three silver medals since 2015.
Middel Jordan Schnitzer (Surrey, B.C.) was dominant from the middle, earning 14 kills and hitting .600. Brodie Hofer (Langley) added a team-high 16 kills while Jackson Howe (Calgary) had eight kills and hit .700. Setter Derek Epp (Saskatoon) had 40 assists and four kills.
Isaac Heslinga added 13 kills and Max Elgert had 35 assists for Alberta.
Alberta recorded a .344 hitting percentage in the match, compared to Trinity Western’s .356.
Of the Spartans starters, graduating seniors Colton Loewen, Howe, Epp and Schnitzer all played their final games as a Spartan.
TWU coach Ben Josepshon is also moving on, as he will start coaching Canada’s men’s national team, starting April 1.
The Spartans now have 13 U SPORTS medals, including six gold, five silver and two bronze.
