The Trinity Western Spartans men's volleyball team is a university varsity volleyball program in Canada that represents

Trinity Western University , mottoeng = A Mighty Fortress Is Our God , established = Trinity Junior College (1962–1972), Trinity Western College (1972–1985), Trinity Western University (1986–present) , type = Privat ...

, competing in the

Canada West Universities Athletics Association Canada West is a regional membership association for universities in Western Canada which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases abo ...

U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the C ...

. Based out of Langley, British Columbia, the

Spartans Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

play their home games at the

Langley Events Centre The Langley Events Centre is a multipurpose facility in the Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. The LEC debuted in April 2009, hosting the 2009 BC Gymnastics Championships. It boasts an arena bowl with a 5,276 capacity for sports, in ...

, a multi-sport facility close to the main campus. Led by then head coach Ron Pike, the Spartans won their first ever

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

in 2006, defeating the

University of Alberta Golden Bears The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas are the sports teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Alberta athletics teams have won a total of 93 national championships, including 79 U Sports sanctioned sports, making ...

in the final by a score of 3–0. Since then, the Spartans have won five more championships, for a total of six, hoisting the Tantramar Trophy again in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2019. The Spartans were led by head coach Ben Josephson from 2007 to 2022 before he took over as the head coach for Canada's men's volleyball program. Adam Schriemer and Ben Ball are now the interim co-head coaches. In the Canada West conference, the Spartans have won the league title seven times, taking the conference championship in 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022.

History

Ron Pike era

From 1999 to 2007, Ron Pike led the Spartans men's volleyball team into a new era of competition, as Trinity Western University joined the

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

conference in 1999. Pike led the program to their first ever post-season berth in 2002, and the program's first ever post-season series win in 2004. That same year, 2003–04, the Spartans earned their first ever national championship berth and went on to win the bronze medal at the national tournament. The following season, Pike led the Spartans to their first national championship final, eventually losing to the

Alberta Golden Bears The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas are the sports teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Alberta athletics teams have won a total of 93 national championships, including 79 U Sports sanctioned sports, making ...

. The following season, 2005–06, the Spartans won the men's volleyball program's first ever National Championship, beating Alberta in straight sets. During his eight seasons of coaching in Canada West, Pike amassed a total record of 102–92, winning four Canada West medals and three national championship medals. On two occasions, athletes under Ron Pike were nominated for the BLG Award (now known as the Lieutenant Governor Athletic Award) as the top male athlete across all Canadian university sports. Chris Meehan was nominated in 2005-2006 and Josh Howatson was nominated in 2006–07. Howatson would go on to win the BLG award, the school's first ever recipient of this honour. That season, Howatson also captured the program's first ever National Player of the Year award.

Ben Josephson era

Josephson was the Spartans head coach from 2007 to 2022, after being an assistant coach from 2004 to 2007. Building upon the championship foundation laid by Ron Pike, Josephson took the program to new heights as he guided TWU to five national championships, winning in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019. Josephson has also led the Spartans to six Canada West championships, winning in 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022, which includes TWU's current run of 10 straight appearances in the conference final. During Josephson's tenure, the program produced six

Player of the Year award winners, including Ben Ball (2011–12), Nick Del Bianco (2014–15), Ryan Sclater (2016–17), Adam Schriemer (2016–17), Eric Loeppky (2019–20) and Derek Epp (2021-22). The Spartans have also had two winners of the U Sports Rookie of the Year award, with Adam Schriemer winning in 2013–14 and Eric Loeppky winning in 2016–17. With Josephson at the helm, the Spartans had three players nominated for the BLG Award, with Ben Ball nominated in 2011–2012, Ryan Sclater nominated in 2016–17 and Derek Epp nominated in 2021-22. The program has also produced six Olympians, as men's volleyball alumni

Rudy Verhoeff Rudy Verhoeff (born 24 June 1989) is a Canadian male volleyball player. He is a member of the Canada men's national volleyball team The Canada men's national volleyball team represents Canada in international volleyball competitions. They are ...

, Steve Marshall,

Daniel Jansen Van Doorn Daniel Jansen Van Doorn (born ) is a Canadian male volleyball player. He is a member of the Canada men's national volleyball team and French club Tours VB, a gold medallist at the 2015 Men's NORCECA Volleyball Championship, and a competitor at th ...

, Lucas Van Berkel and Ryan Sclater have represented Canada's national indoor volleyball team, and Chaim Schalk has represented Canada's beach volleyball team. Over his career with TWU, Josephson was named both the Canada West Coach of the Year and U Sports Coach of the Year four times, in 2011–12, 2013–14, 2019–2020 and 2021-22. Before moving to the sidelines, Josephson was a stand-out player for the Spartans from 1998 to 2003 and, in his final year, earned the school's first ever All-Canadian award while, in that same year, also being named a Canada West First Team All-Star.

International competition

The Spartans have competed several times against international competition, including representing Canada five times - at the FIVB Club World Championships in 2011, the 2012 Men's U23 Pan-American Volleyball Cup, the 2018 FISU America Games, the 2019 CAN-AM Holiday Showcase, and the 2021 Pan American Cup.

2011 FIVB Club World Championship

The Spartans travelled to

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

in 2011 after being invited to take part in the FIVB Men's Club World Championships. The

were the North American representatives for the 2011 edition of the tournament. The annual tournament features many of the top professional club teams in the world. The Spartans finished that tournament with a 1–2 record, with a win over Iranian champion

Paykan Tehran Paykan Club is an Iranian sports club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was founded in 1967. Teams * Paykan Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League * Paykan Volleyball Club, competing in the Iranian Super League *Paykan Cycling Club T ...

and losses to Russia's Zenit Kazan and Poland's KS Jastrzebski Wegiel.

2012 Men's U23 Pan-American Volleyball Cup

In 2012, the Spartans were awarded the chance to represent Canada for the U23 Pan American Men's Volleyball Cup. The matches were played at the

, home of the Spartans. In round robin play, the Spartans finished with two wins and two losses. They finished fourth overall at the tournament, earning wins over the Dominican Republic and Mexico in round robin play before losing to Brazil in the semifinal, and the Dominican Republic in the bronze medal match.

2018 FISU America Games

The Spartans represented Canada again in 2018 at the inaugural FISU America Games in São Paulo, Brazil. The FISU America Games is a Pan American branch of the

FISU World University Games The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

. At the tournament, the Spartans finished with a 1–1 record in pool play. They lost 3–0 to Brazil in the semifinals but went on to beat Mexico 3–2 in the bronze medal match.

2019 CAN-AM Holiday Showcase

In 2019, the Spartans competed in the inaugural CAN-AM Holiday Showcase. The CAN-AM Volleyball Holiday Showcase featured four Canadian teams, with the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

and

Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Tor ...

joining TWU against then two-time defending NCAA champions

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

, as well as

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

Lewis University Lewis University is a private Roman Catholic and Lasallian university in Romeoville, Illinois, United States. The enrollment is currently around 6,800 students. Lewis offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and programs of study, 22 graduate pr ...

and

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. TWU went a perfect 3-0 during the course of the tournament, beating Long Beach State, UCLA, and Lewis. The tournament was the first time since 2010 that the Spartans had played NCAA competition.

2021 Pan American Cup

The Spartans represented Canada at th
2021 Pan American Cup
in the Dominican Republic, winning a silver medal. The Spartans finished with a 5-2 overall record, earning wins over Mexico, Dominican Republic (2), Puerto Rico and Suriname. TWU beat the Dominican Republic 3-0 in the semifinals before falling to Mexico in three sets in the gold medal match.

Venues and facilities

From 1999 to 2009 the Spartans competed at the David E. Enarson Gymnasium on the Trinity Westerns University campus. During the 2010 season, the Spartans and the Spartan Faithful transitioned to the

(LEC), a multi-purpose facility in the Township of Langley, which is also the home of TWU's basketball, hockey, and rugby teams. Because of the Spartans success and passionate fan base, the LEC has become one of the hardest gyms in the conference for opposing teams to play in. The Spartans men's volleyball program has hosted the National Championship tournament once, in 2011, which was hosted at the Langley Events Centre. That year, the Spartans captured the program's second national championship.

National Player of the Year

Members of the TWU men's volleyball program have been awarded the National Player of the Year Award on seven different occasions.

National Coach of the Year

Other major award winners

''* denotes award no longer given''

U Sports All-Canadians

Lieutenant Governor Athletic Awards

Athletes from the men's volleyball program have been nominated on four separate occasions for the Lieutenant Governor Athletic Award (formerly known as the BLG Award), which is given annually to top male and female athletes across all Canadian universities. Chris Meehan was nominated in 2005–2006, Josh Howatson was nominated in 2006–07, Ben Ball was nominated in 2011–2012, Ryan Sclater was nominated in 2016–17 and Derek Epp was nominated in 2021-22. Howatson went on to win the award as the top Male Athlete in Canada in 2006–07.

Canada West regular season records

''*- denotes divisional finish''

Postseason history

Canada West playoffs results

Since beginning Canada West competition in the 1999–2000 season, the program has medalled 15 times, including every year from 2010 to 2020, as well as reaching the conference championship match from 2012 to 2020. To date, the program has captured a total of six conference championships which includes: 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020.

U Sports Championship Tournament results

The men's volleyball program reached the national championship tournament for the first time in program history in 2004 where they earned the bronze medal. In total, the program has won 12 national tournament medals, which included a run of five straight years in which the Spartans won either a gold or silver medal (2015-2019). The program has captured the National Championship six times, including in 2006, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019. Heading into the 2020 National Championship, the Spartans earned the number one seed having captured the Canada West Championship and a league-best record of 20–2, but were unable to compete for their fourth championship in five years when the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Record vs. Canada West opponents

All-time series record includes conference matches and postseason results from 1999 to 2020.

Spartans representing Team Canada

TWU has seen may athletes go on to compete for the senior national team, both in beach volleyball and indoor volleyball at several levels including the Canadian youth national team, junior national team, FISU Summer Games Team, senior national ‘B’ team, senior national team, and Canadian beach national team. The Spartans have also had four athletes compete at the Olympic Summer Games, with

(indoor), Steven Marshall (indoor),

(indoor), and Chaim Schalk (beach) representing Team Canada at the

2016 Rio Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

. Four Spartans helped team Canada qualify for the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the List of Olympic Games h ...

(postponed to 2021), with Steven Marshall, Ryan Sclater, Lucas Van Berkel, and

contributing to the team's qualification in January 2020 in Vancouver, BC.

TWU Spartans professional volleyball careers

Several athletes from the men's volleyball program have gone on to play professionally in leagues around Europe and the rest of the world. * Steve Marshall – ''Nice Volley-Ball (France)'' * Derek Epp - ''Arago de Sète (France)'' * Jackson Howe - ''Stade Poitevin Poitiers (France)'' * Lucas Van Berkel – ''Tourcoing Lille Métropole (France)'' * Ryan Sclater – ''Arago de Sète (France)'' * Chaim Schalk – ''AVP Beach Volleyball (USA)'' * Eric Loeppky - ''Gioiella Prisma Taranto (Italy)'' * Pearce Eschenko - ''SVG Lüneburg (Germany)'' * Jacob Kern - ''Lycurgus Volleyball (Netherlands)'' * Jordan Schnitzer - ''SVG Lüneburg (Germany)'' * Tyler Koslowsky - ''2016-2022'' *

– ''2013-2021'' *

- ''2013-2020'' * Blake Scheerhoorn - ''2016-2020'' * Adam Schriemer – ''2018-2019'' * Danny Grant – ''2016-2019'' * Nick Del Bianco – ''2015-2019'' * Josh Howatson – ''2007-2019'' * Stephen Nash – ''2009-2017''

Media

Trinity Western Spartan men's volleyball matches in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association conference can be seen live on www.Canadawest.tv.

References

{{U Sports volleyball U Sports volleyball Men's volleyball teams Trinity Western University Langley, British Columbia (city)