VB: WPG hitter, MRU setter locked in from every angle
Thiessen, Pelland named CW Players of the Week
CALGARY - Winnipeg's Daniel Thiessen and Mount Royal's Quinn Pelland were named the Canada West Volleyball Players of the Week by the conference on Tuesday.
The ball was never far from Thiessen throughout the weekend, as his touch on both offence and defence fuelled the Wesmen in a back-and-forth split as they fought to stay atop a tight Eastern division.
The opposite hitter tucked away 22 kills Thursday night, swinging at 33.3 per cent while hitting the floor for 14 digs and posting 22.5 points as the Wesmen fell in five sets to the Brandon University Bobcats.
He picked up where he left off Saturday, powering away 15 kills (.290) and putting up 13 digs for 18 points to help his team bounce back in a four-set victory.
Thiessen is now challenging stat leaders in two categories on opposite sides of the board, proving his versatility at the highest level. He's second in Canada West when it comes to kills per set at 4.41. He's also second among Canada West hitters (sixth among all athletes) in digs per set with an average of 2.02.
Thiessen and the Wesmen (7-5) are now off for a week before they hit the road for two games against the Saskatchewan Huskies (6-6) on Feb. 11 and 12. First serve is slated for 8 p.m. on the Friday and 5 p.m. on the Saturday.
Game log:
Jan. 27: 22 kills, .333 K%, 14 digs, 22.5 pts in 3-2 L vs BDN
Jan. 29: 15 kills, .290 K%, 13 digs, 18 pts in 3-1 W at BDN
Meanwhile, two provinces over, a setter and her team were determined to dethrone the yet undefeated Alberta Pandas. Quinn Pelland and the Mount Royal Cougars did just that Saturday night, as the setter put up an incredible 59 assists to hand the Pandas their first loss of the season.
Pelland's focus was unbroken as she moved around the court with ease, setting her teammates up with spot-on assists. She put her stamp on nearly every play, contributing on defence with 11 digs and two block assists.
The fourth-year setter battled on Friday as well, posting 17 digs in a three-game sweep for the Pandas. In those sets, she put up 26 assists and buried three kills on nine swings.
With the split, Mount Royal secured their place among Canada West's top teams and proved the now 11-1 Pandas have someone to fear.
The Cougars will be back in action after a weekend break, when they visit the Calgary Dinos (4-8) on Feb. 10. They'll face the Dinos at home on Feb. 12. Those games are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.
Game log:
Jan. 28: 26 assists, 17 digs, 3 kills (.333), 1 BA in 3-0 L at ALB
Jan. 22: 59 assists, 11 digs, 2 BA in 3-2 W at ALB