MVB: Ibbetson, WolfPack wrap up season with win over Cougars
March 5, 2022
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - With nothing left to play for on Saturday night but pride, the Thompson Rivers WolfPack showed that they have it in spades.
In a Pool A round-robin playoff finale between a pair of teams who had already been mathematically eliminated from moving on to the second round, the WolfPack battled their way past the Mount Royal Cougars in four sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 28-26) at the UFV Athletic Centre.
TRU wraps up its playoff run with a 1-2 record, while dropping the Cougars to 0-3 in the round robin. The Brandon Bobcats and Trinity Western Spartans, based on Friday's results, had already clinched top-two finishes in the four-team group and will move on to the next round.
"I think we were tight yesterday (vs. Brandon)," TRU head coach Pat Hennelly said afterward, reflecting on the growth his squad showed in their season finale. "We're a young group, and it's playoffs - Brandon was a lot more intense in coming after us. I said, 'That's a lesson to be learned, guys - you've got to come out and push in this league or you're going to get steamrolled.'
"That was the message, and obviously we were a little more relaxed because there's nothing on the line. But you're playing for pride, and I think it's important. These guys really represented the jersey tonight, and I'm proud of the effort."
The Cougars built a five-point lead midway through the first set, and while the WolfPack were able to battle back and equalize 17-17, MRU pulled away once again thanks to a pair of crucial kills from Jacob van Geel to take it 25-23.
In the second a trio of kills in quick succession from Thundersky Walkingbear put TRU up 17-12, and they would maintain the lead the rest of the way to take it 25-20.
Rylan Ibbetson took over down the stretch of the third - with his team clinging to a 21-20 lead, he blasted a trio of kills to put TRU up 24-21, and they would hang on for a 25-23 win.
The Cougars appeared poised to send it to a fifth set, building a five-point margin (18-13) in the fourth. But the WolfPack fought all the way back, fending off an MRU set point with a Sam Flowerday kill and going on to close out the match 28-26 with Maxim Turgeon and Walkingbear picking up clutch kills in the late going.
It was a night to remember for Ibbetson - the true freshman had just three kills during the regular season, but was inserted into the starting lineup and blasted 15 kills on 23 swings with just two errors for a .565 hitting percentage, along with a team-best 18 digs.
"He's come into a lot of games for us as a serving sub, but that's his first time in a full match, so absolutely incredible for his first time on the floor," Hennelly enthused. "He's a first-year guy, a true freshman who's been working hard in the gym. These are opportunities to let young guys get out there and cut their teeth, so I was super-impressed with that. He held his ground passing, and he went on some nice serving runs."
Flowerday's 20 kills paced the WolfPack, and Walkingbear added 18 kills. Setter Samuel Elgert dished out 49 assists.
Van Geel's 11 kills led the Cougars, and Max Haronga (nine kills, 10 digs), Luis Lange (eight kills) and Joao Friere (seven kills, 12 digs) also had solid performances for MRU.
"The vibe definitely didn't feel great in the first two sets, but I'm proud of how we turned it around and we actually had a pretty good game going there (in the fourth)," van Geel said. "Credit to Thompson Rivers - I thought they played great. They had some really scrappy digs, and they were able to convert them into kills. It was a fun game, but I wish we could have come out swinging right away."
In a Pool A round-robin playoff finale between a pair of teams who had already been mathematically eliminated from moving on to the second round, the WolfPack battled their way past the Mount Royal Cougars in four sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 28-26) at the UFV Athletic Centre.
TRU wraps up its playoff run with a 1-2 record, while dropping the Cougars to 0-3 in the round robin. The Brandon Bobcats and Trinity Western Spartans, based on Friday's results, had already clinched top-two finishes in the four-team group and will move on to the next round.
"I think we were tight yesterday (vs. Brandon)," TRU head coach Pat Hennelly said afterward, reflecting on the growth his squad showed in their season finale. "We're a young group, and it's playoffs - Brandon was a lot more intense in coming after us. I said, 'That's a lesson to be learned, guys - you've got to come out and push in this league or you're going to get steamrolled.'
"That was the message, and obviously we were a little more relaxed because there's nothing on the line. But you're playing for pride, and I think it's important. These guys really represented the jersey tonight, and I'm proud of the effort."
The Cougars built a five-point lead midway through the first set, and while the WolfPack were able to battle back and equalize 17-17, MRU pulled away once again thanks to a pair of crucial kills from Jacob van Geel to take it 25-23.
In the second a trio of kills in quick succession from Thundersky Walkingbear put TRU up 17-12, and they would maintain the lead the rest of the way to take it 25-20.
Rylan Ibbetson took over down the stretch of the third - with his team clinging to a 21-20 lead, he blasted a trio of kills to put TRU up 24-21, and they would hang on for a 25-23 win.
The Cougars appeared poised to send it to a fifth set, building a five-point margin (18-13) in the fourth. But the WolfPack fought all the way back, fending off an MRU set point with a Sam Flowerday kill and going on to close out the match 28-26 with Maxim Turgeon and Walkingbear picking up clutch kills in the late going.
It was a night to remember for Ibbetson - the true freshman had just three kills during the regular season, but was inserted into the starting lineup and blasted 15 kills on 23 swings with just two errors for a .565 hitting percentage, along with a team-best 18 digs.
"He's come into a lot of games for us as a serving sub, but that's his first time in a full match, so absolutely incredible for his first time on the floor," Hennelly enthused. "He's a first-year guy, a true freshman who's been working hard in the gym. These are opportunities to let young guys get out there and cut their teeth, so I was super-impressed with that. He held his ground passing, and he went on some nice serving runs."
Flowerday's 20 kills paced the WolfPack, and Walkingbear added 18 kills. Setter Samuel Elgert dished out 49 assists.
Van Geel's 11 kills led the Cougars, and Max Haronga (nine kills, 10 digs), Luis Lange (eight kills) and Joao Friere (seven kills, 12 digs) also had solid performances for MRU.
"The vibe definitely didn't feel great in the first two sets, but I'm proud of how we turned it around and we actually had a pretty good game going there (in the fourth)," van Geel said. "Credit to Thompson Rivers - I thought they played great. They had some really scrappy digs, and they were able to convert them into kills. It was a fun game, but I wish we could have come out swinging right away."