Playoff Preview: Spartans vs TRU Wolfpack

February 16th, 2011 - Langley, BC

For the third consecutive season the Spartan Men's Volleyball team will be hosting a Canada West playoff series and for the second time in three against the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. (Every time I write that I can hear their announcer say it...Thompson Rivers Universityyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy WOLFpack!) For the fourth consecutive season the Wolfpack must go into hostile territory to try to earn their way to the National Tournament. Both teams have a tendency to play the same teams in the playoffs as well. TWU has played Winnipeg 3 of the previous 5 years and TRU 2 of the last 3. TRU has played Brandon, then TWU, then Brandon and now TWU again. Both programs have had a great deal of success in the playoffs setting the stage for a great playoff series at the Langley Events Centre this weekend.

TRU has been able to attend the previous three CIS National Tournaments by way of road playoff victories (Brandon 2 times and TWU once) while TWU is looking to earn their way to a 6th National Tournament appearance in 8 years. The Spartans already have a place in the Tournament via Host Birth but there is no intention by the Langley squad to rely on the "free ride" to the Tournament. The two programs' successes in the playoffs are statements to their ability to play their best 'ball at the most important time of the year. While TWU has had the luxury of qualifying for the Tournament by winning on home soil the Wolfpack have done so on the road every time. This season looks to be no different with both teams playing very good volleyball down the stretch.

TWU comes into the weekend series on a 5 of 6 match win ratio with the only loss being in Brandon versus a very tough Bobcat team on senior appreciation night. The Wolfpack head into this weekend having won the last 4 including a pivotal weekend sweep of provincial rival UBC last weekend that broke a tie for 6th place and earned the 'Pack the right to avoid Calgary in the first round. These two teams are very familiar with each other as this will be the 7th time some form or another of Spartans and Wolfpack have competed against each other in the 2010-2011 campaign. These two teams locked up in a preseason pair of games in the lower mainland in October with TWU winning both. Later that weekend the younger squads of the teams played in the final of the Douglas College tournament in New Westminster, again with TWU coming out the victor. As the old adage goes, its tough to keep a good man, wolf, down the Wolfpack responded by spoiling the regular season home opener for TWU in November in a tough 5 set affair. The Spartans responded on the next night winning in 5, 17-15 in the 5th set completing a grueling 10 set weekend split. At the Spartan Holiday Classic in January the Spartans, or FVVC, played a young Wolfpack squad in the final day of the tournament with FVVC winning in straight sets. While the season series sits 6-1 in favour of the Spartans it must be said that most of those matches were played with split squads. The only time both teams lined up their full line ups was the regular season weekend in Langley where the epic 5 set split matches took place.

A simple look from the outside suggests that this series will follow the trend of the season series but when you take into account the way the Wolfpack have been playing as of late and the ultimate X-factor in star outside hitter Kevin Tillie, the Wolfpack will be more than a tough test for the Spartans. The Wolfpack have used more players in more roles than any team in the conference this past season. They continually rotate two very good setters in and out changing the flow of their offence. No less than four different players have played libero for TRU this season. They have three quality middles that are inter changable all roughly 6'6 and can block and attack with skill. They have 5 different wing attackers who have seen significant time this season not named Kevin Tillie. And then there is Kevin Tillie who is arguably the best player in the country (sorry Karl). Fact: there is no French phrase for Sophomore Slump (probably not fact) so French born Tillie has followed up his CIS Rookie of the Year campaign with is what is sure to be an All Canadian season (robbed if not). The TRU star attacker possesses the complete volleyball package. He is 6'6, jumps really well (11'6 minimum), is one of the leagues best defenders (top 10 in digs/set), is a fantastic blocker, the team's best passer and the league's #2 attacker behind perennial leader Paul Sanderson from Brandon. Tillie's all around game makes him a great test for any opponent and forces opposing coaches to stay up to all hours of the night trying to design a gameplan to contain, not stop, him. Like all great players in any sport Tillie makes those around him better. With teams tailoring their plan around him it provides better opportunities for the other Wolfpack attackers thus leading to their recent win streak.

As talented as Tillie is he will have his hands full this weekend as he and his TRU teammates take on the Spartans. TWU boasts the leagues top serving and blocking squad. This lethal combination allows the Spartans to routinely serve opponents off the net allowing their massive block to impose itself on the match and prey on attacker's aggressive shots. Leading the charge on the block front are a pair of 6'8 middle blockers in Dan Jansen Van Doorn and Lucas Van Berkel who both sit in the Canada West top 10 in blocking (7th & 1st respectively). Van Berkel's season average of 1.60 blocks per set is a new single season Canada West record and has earned him the Canada West Male Athlete of the Week honor this past week. On the wing the Spartans add a couple converted middles to add to their blocking prowess in Josh Doornenbal and Rudy Verhoeff who were both ranked in the top 10 in blocking for much of the season (Verhoeff finished the season 10th with 1.04). The final two blockers on the Spartan line up are 6'7 Outside Hitter Marc Howatson and 6'4 Setter Ben Ball who at 6'4 is the shortest player on the Spartan line up by 2 inches.

Blocking is difficult at best when opposed by a good offense but when that offense has to opperate from the 3 meter line blocking it becomes much easier. That is where TWU's service game comes in. The Spartans led the Canada West in Aces per set with 1.43 a full .30 better than the second place Alberta team. The serving charge is led by Van Berkel who is the lone Spartan in the top 10 in aces with .26 per set meaning that the TWU squad gets the rest of their 1.17 aces from a variety of other servers. Contributing to the season total are Verhoeff, Howatson, Jansen Van Doorn and Ball who were all ranked in the top 10 at one point this season (excluding Howatson who sat out the first semester due to injury). Adding to the baseline barrage is an arsenal of jump servers coming off the TWU bench in Nick Del Bianco, Branden Schmidt and the Spartans most dangerous serve of all Mikiah Schalk.

This combination of tough serving and big blocking has been seen before in Langley as this same style led the 2006 team to a National Championship and in 2007 they captured the Canada West banner. This weekend the Spartans will need all of their 'guns' firing and their blocks solid if they hope to put a stop to the Wolfpack's playoff winning streak on the road. Matches run 8pm both Thursday and Friday, February 17th & 18th with a third and deciding match at 7pm on Saturday, February 19th in necessary. Come out and cheer the Spartan on in what is sure to be some exciting matches.

Go Spartans!!!