WVB | Kodiaks claim close victory over Trojans
Feb. 15, 2020 – The Kodiaks began their game on a bit of a different note tonight, taking a moment to honor Trojans head coach, Art O'Dwyer prior to his retirement at the end of this season, presenting him with a game ball accompanied by a round of applause from the crowd.
Coming off of a 3-0 sweep the previous night, the Kodiaks looked to build on their momentum and set the tone of the match early on. The Trojans proved their eagerness to find redemption and trailed closely on the Kodiaks heals for the first half of the set, until the Kodiaks were able to pull away, largely guided by a strong performance from setter, Johanna Dixon to claim the set 25-19.
The Trojans stole an early lead on a series of Kodiaks offensive errors, which held until mid-way through the set when the Kodiaks were able to regain their footing and close the gap. The Trojans held on with leadership from Brooke Litwinski who claimed 5 digs and 4 kills, and guided the Trojans to a 25-22 set victory.
Tied up at 1-1, the Kodiaks looked to get out on top early. A stellar block form Maile Funa set the tone for the Kodiaks intensity, but the Trojans didn't let up. Trojans offence quickly rattled the Kodiaks, creating a need for several substitutions in an effort to regain composure. A line-up changed proved to be exactly what the Kodiaks needed as they swiftly closed the gap to get back in the game. While the Kodiaks clawed their way back into the race, they were unable to overcome the Trojans and fell 25-21 in the set.
Heading into the do-or-die set, the Kodiaks started out strong to gain the early lead. A series of Trojans kills kept the set tight with captain, Jadyn Leong dominating the court. Matching point-for-point until stealing the set 25- 23 in a suspenseful moment, the Kodiaks came out the victors to tie the match 2-2.
The Kodiaks pulled ahead early in the fourth set but were unable to maintain the gap with heavy pressure from SAIT offense. Jamie Brown and Maile Funa put away a series of kills to close out the set 15-11 and claim the match 3-2.
With this win, the Kodiaks advance their record to 8-14 while the Trojans fall to 6-18. The Kodiaks are back in action on Friday, Feb. 21st in a weekend match-up against the Briercrest Clippers.
Players of the Game:
Trojans – #14 Jadyn Leong
Kodiaks – #3 Jamie Brown