VB: TWU, ALB hitters go large in weekend sweeps
Outside hitters from Alberta and Trinity Western named CW Players of the Week
WINNIPEG - Trinity Western's Brodie Hofer and Alberta's Julia Zonneveld were named the Canada West Volleyball Players of the Week by the conference on Tuesday.
Hofer put away 39 kills to push the threatening UBCO Heat down the standings and solidify the Spartans' place atop the West division.
On Friday, the third-year hitter buried 22 kills on 42 swings (.357) as the Spartans fought back to claim the match after dropping sets three and four. Hofer took charge in crunch time, notching two kills late in the fifth to keep his team undefeated.
He and the Spartans made cleaner work of the Heat Saturday, taking the win in straight sets. In just three games, Hofer went for 17 kills, two aces, two block assists, seven digs and 20 points.
Hofer sits second in Canada West in both hitting percentage (.381) and kills per set (4.27).
The Spartans (8-0) are slated to be back in action on Jan. 28 and 29, when they'll travel to the University of British Columbia (5-3) for a weekend series. The action starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Game log:
Jan. 21: 22 kills, .357 K%, 1 ace, 2 BAs, 7 digs, 24 pts in 3-2 W vs UBCO
Jan. 22: 17 kills, .333 K%, 2 aces, 2BAs, 7 digs, 20 pts in 3-0 W vs UBCO
Meanwhile, the versatile Zonneveld was all over the hard court, hitting the deck for 31 digs over the weekend while laying down 21 kills as Alberta continued its trampling of the Central division.
Zonneveld, an outside hitter, put up top libero-grade numbers, while showing strong defence at the net as well.
On Friday, she posted 15 digs, nine kills, one block assist, and 9.5 points in what was a hometown affair for the Calgary product. The fourth-year player came back Saturday with 16 digs, 12 kills, one ace, four blocks and 15.5 points as the Pandas defeated the University of Calgary Dinos twice in straight sets (3-0, 3-0).
The University of Alberta (10-0) is set to host Mount Royal University (8-2) in a battle of the Central division leaders on Friday and Saturday. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively.
Game log:
Jan. 21: 9 kills, .241 K%, 1 BA, 15 digs, 9.5 points in 3-0 W at CGY
Jan. 22: 12 kills, .357 K%, 1 ace, 4 blocks, 16 digs, 15.5 points in 3-0 W at CGY