LANGLEY, B.C.– Led by fourth-year outside Kaden Schmidt (Mississauga, Ont.) with 13 kills, four digs, one ace, and one block, the Trinity Western Spartans earned a 3-0 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies Thursday night at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C. The 25-23, 25-16, 25-17 win gives TWU a 1-0 lead in the series.
 
Third-year outside Piers De Greeff (Victoria, B.C.) with nine kills, two aces, and one dig also had a strong game for the Spartans. Emmitt Graham (Saskatoon, Sask.) and Aaron Elser (Calgary, Alta.), with seven kills each, led the Huskies.
 
TWU fifth-year setter Anselm Rein (Erfurt, Germany) ran the Spartan attack, finishing with 28 set assists. Saskatchewan's Noah Opseth (Birch Hills, Sask.) finished with 25 set assists for the Huskies.
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans and Huskies will match-up again tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. (PT) at the Langley Events Centre, with the match streamed live on Canada West TV.
 
AS IT HAPPENED
The Huskies had the better of the Spartans in the early going of the opening set and were up 11-7 after a Jacob Baird kill. TWU gradually got back in the game and, with a Jackson Corneil and Schmidt block of Emmett Graham, tied the game at 17-17. From their the teams played side-out ball to 23-23. Then back-to-back points from Willem Van Huizen,  with a kill and service ace, gave TWU the opening set 25-23. TWU hit at .500 (13-1-24), while Saskatchewan hit at .189 (14-7-37) in the opening set.
 
The second set was even early, with the teams tied at 7-7. Then the Spartans used an 11-6 run to take a commanding 18-13 lead after a Schmidt service ace. TWU continued to control the set, finishing the game with a 7-3 run to take the second set 25-16 and a 2-0 match lead. The Spartans hit at .471 (9-1-17), while the Huskies hit at .125 (8-6-16).
 
The Spartans came out strong to start the third set and quickly jumped out to a 10-3 lead. TWU took advantage of multiple Saskatchewan attack errors and were able to extend their lead to 17-9. The Huskies chipped away at the Spartans' lead and, after a Baird kill, had made it a five-point deficit, trailing 17-12, as TWU took a timeout to slow the Saskatchewan rally. After the break, the Spartans regained control and took the final set 25-17 and the match 3-0.
 
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans finished the night hitting at .452 (33-5-62) while the Huskies finished at .125 (29-20-72).
• TWU had the edge in blocks 4-0, while Saskatchewan had a 20-18 edge in digs.
• The Spartans also led 9-3 in service aces.
• Trinity Western is currently 47-23 lifetime against Saskatchewan.
• The Spartans finished 17-3 in conference play and second place in Canada West, while the Huskies finished 9-11 in CW and in seventh place.
• Earlier this year, the Spartans swept the Huskies 3-1 and 3-0 at the Langley Events Centre in Langley, B.C., on February 6-7.
• Last year, the Spartans lost to the Huskies the best-of-three Canada West play-in series in Saskatoon, Sask., losing 3-1, winning 3-1, and losing 3-0.
• The Spartans had a bye week last week, while the Huskies swept the Brandon Bobcats 3-0 and 3-1 in the play-in series in Saskatoon, Sask.
• The Spartans are led by Canada West first-team all-stars fourth-year outside Kaden Schmidt (Mississauga, Ont.) and fifth-year setter Anselm Rein (Erfurt, Germany), and second-team all-star fifth-year middle Cory Schoenherr (Waterloo, Ont.)
• The Huskies are led by Canada West first-team all-star fifth-year outside Emmett Graham (Saskatoon, Sask.).