Spartans sweep Mustangs to reach U SPORTS semifinal
Piers De Greeff and the Trinity Western Spartans advanced to the national semifinal with a commanding straight-sets victory over the Western Mustangs in the fourth quarterfinal of the 2026 BioSteel U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship on Friday night at the Toldo Lancer Centre.
Trinity Western won the match 25-14, 25-15, 25-13 to secure its place in Saturday’s semifinal at 8 p.m.
De Greeff was named Trinity Western’s player of the game after recording 11 kills, two service aces and six digs while hitting .429 in an efficient offensive performance.
The Spartans controlled the match from the outset, using strong serving pressure and balanced attacking to keep Western on the defensive. Trinity Western finished with nine service aces and hit .392 as a team, while limiting the Mustangs to a .036 attacking percentage.
Kaden Schmidt led all scorers with 12 kills and two aces for the Spartans, while Jackson Corneil added seven kills and three blocks. Setter Anselm Rein orchestrated the offence with 31 assists as Trinity Western consistently found openings against the Western block.
Western struggled to find offensive rhythm throughout the contest. Oliver Toomes and Jayden Talsma each recorded five kills, while Kendall Homenick chipped in with three. Andrew Kerkhoff earned player-of-the-game honours for the Mustangs after contributing 10 digs and steady defensive play in the back row.
The Spartans built early leads in each set and rarely allowed the Mustangs to close the gap. A series of service runs and timely blocks helped Trinity Western steadily extend its advantage as the match progressed.
After cruising through the first two sets, Trinity Western maintained its momentum in the third, pulling away midway through before closing out the sweep.
With the victory, Trinity Western advances to the national semifinal Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Toldo Lancer Centre.
Western drops to the consolation side of the bracket and will return to the court Saturday at 2 p.m.
