University of Regina Cougars Topple No. 5 Trinity Western In Five

Written by Braden Konschuh of the University of Regina, Sports Information Dept. REGINA, Sask. - 01/19/07 - With the 2006-07 regular season now heading down the stretch, the University of Regina's women's volleyball team scored a much-needed 3-2 (25-17, 24-26, 22-25, 25-20, 20-18) victory over Trinity Western on Friday night at the U of R's Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The match took well over two hours to decide, as the teams went all the way to five sets in their first matchup since the 2006 playoffs. The Cougars started off strong, taking the first set by a 25-17 score. Trinity Western came roaring back, taking the second and third sets by 26-24 and 25-22 counts and showing why they were ranked No. 5 in the CIS entering the weekend.

But the Cougars weren't to be denied on this night. They took the fourth set by a 25-20 score to even the match at two, then won the nail-biting deciding set by a score of 20-18 to hand Trinity Western just their second loss of the season.

The fifth frame was full of suspense, as the teams were tied at 18 before the Cougars finally strung together a pair of points to record the win. A service error by the Spartans gave Regina a 19-18 lead, and a Beth Clark (pictured) kill ended the match.

Clark had a match-high .387 hitting percentage, recording 15 kills and just three errors on 31 attacks. She also recorded a team-high five total blocks.

Tammy Jule had a match-high 17 kills for the Cougars, and added 11 digs for the double-double. Anne Fleming had the only other double-double for Regina, recording 13 kills and 10 attacks. Jennifer Prokopetz had 56 assists and eight digs, and also had four kills on just seven attacks.

Trinity Western received a massive contribution at the net from third-year middle Dayna JansenVanDoorn, who recorded a total of 10 blocks and 10 kills over the match. Jodi Schaufele also had a double-double for the Spartans, posting 14 kills and 14 digs. TWU Libero Julie Blackburn had a match-high 22 digs.

The win improves the Cougars' record to 5-8 this season. They move into a tie for sixth place in Canada West, as Simon Fraser lost to the Alberta Pandas. Trinity Western falls to 11-2 on the season.

These two teams will meet again on Saturday night. Match time is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will follow the conclusion of the men's game.

NOTES: The Cougars have never lost to Trinity Western at home in the regular season, winning all seven meetings in Regina.