Wolfpack Volleyball in tough against U of A on Saturday

Oct 29, 2016 | 9:24 PM

KAMLOOPS — After a first set lead slipped away from the TRU Wolfpack Women’s Volleyball team, they never quite recovered, falling in three straight sets to the #2 ranked team in Canada West.

The ‘Pack led by as many as four points late in the first set, before the Pandas battled back to steal it 25-23. Alberta then went on to win the next two sets with ease, 25-11, and 25-12 for the straight sets victory.

“We came out pretty good,” Women’s head coach Chad Grimm said after the match. “Rebounded after a disappointment last night, [but] didn’t get it done in the first, and just kind of let it go.”

Reigning CIS Player of the Year, Iuliia Pakhomenko led the Wolfpack with 9 kills and two service aces.

The Wolfpack Men were up against a difficult U of A Golden Bears squad, picked in a preseason coaches poll as the favourite to win the Canada West title this year.

Alberta came out strong, winning the first set 25-18, but TRU hung in against the Golden Bears, winning the second set by the same score. U of A won the third set 25-17, and while it looked as though the ‘Pack would force a fifth and deciding set, Alberta scored 9 of the final 13 points in the match, to take their second victory over Thompson Rivers, three sets to one.

Despite the losses, first-year head coach Mike Hawkins liked what he saw from the Men’s team.

“The way that we bounced back tonight, after a tough game last night, was really important,’ Hawkins said. “Obviously with a quality team like Alberta… it would be really easy for us to just let them come in a do their thing, but I think we put up a really great battle tonight.”

Both the Men’s and Women’s teams will head to Manitoba next weekend, where they’ll take on the Brandon Bobcats in Canada West action.