WolfPack volleyball home opener goes Friday night at the TCC

The ‘Pack split with last year’s Canada West Champions on opening weekend, taking Saturday night’s match in a hard-fought five-setter.

“Taking a win off Alberta is huge,” Ockerman says. “That’s a win a lot of teams maybe thought we wouldn’t have got out of that weekend.”

“This year is going to come down to maybe two or three wins separating tenth place from sixth place,” men’s volleyball head coach Pat Hennelly explains. “A win against Alberta is huge, a win on the road is huge, but we’re trying to reset and work on Calgary. That’s one of the problems with our league, we can’t spend too much feeling sorry for ourselves or celebrating. Hopefully, it adds some confidence, knowing that the game’s not over until the other team wins three sets.”

On Friday night (Oct. 27), the ‘Pack welcomes the University of Calgary Dinos to the Tournament Capital Centre.

Women’s team head coach Chad Grimm is impressed with his young team’s mindset to start the season.

“Everyone is pulling on the same rope, everyone wants to get better. They’re putting in the time in the gym,” Grimm tells CFJC Today. “We’re young, no one over third-year, but we’ve talked a lot about going through the process, paying our dues and going through the time. We’re trying to let performance take care of itself, getting some measures in terms of if our improvement is going in the right way.”

Sasha Haldane is one of those third-year players, who will be leaned upon as a leader for this squad.

Image Credit: Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Athletics

“For us to play our best, I think just focusing on what’s going on on our side of [the net],” Haldane suggests. “When we play how we can plan, a difference is always made. We can fire against [our opponents] and see what they have. I think we can give them a good run for our money if we play how we can play.”

Of course, a big, raucous crowd in the Tournament Capital Centre can lend a huge amount of energy to the WolfPack teams.

“I know I had a huge blackout moment in my first year, but now just seeing that crowd, it gives you more energy,” Haldane says. “It’s super exciting and I know everyone on the team feels the exact same way.”

“It’s like the best feeling,” fifth-year men’s setter Sam Elgert says with a big smile. “Having your fans out and they’re all rooting for you, you don’t have to bring as much of your own energy to the court, you can kind of just focus on your level of play. Usually, we have a good crowd, but it’s always better on home opener weekend.”

by Adam Donnelly

WolfPack volleyball home opener goes Friday night at the TCC

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