Kamloops, BC – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades dropped a five-set thriller (22-25, 25-20, 21-25, 33-31, 10-15) to the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Friday in Kamloops.

As it happened:
The teams traded points back and forth in the opening set, but with the teams knotted at 21 apiece the WolfPack found the edge off a Sam Flowerday ace and kill to take it 25-22.

Caleb Kastelein picked up five kills in the second to boost the Cascades to the set win.

The WolfPack surged late again in the third. With the score level at 17, TRU pulled away to take it 25-21.

UFV trailed 24-22 in the fourth but battled back to close the gap and tie the set at 25-25. The teams traded blows to 31 apiece before a Tyson Ardell Kill and a Jonas Van Huizen ace gave the Cascades the 33-31 set win.

The Cascades rally would end there however, as TRU gained control in the fifth to end the match 15-10.

Top performers:
Caleb Kastelein was the driving force for the Cascades finishing the night with 17 kills. Nimo Benne had 14 kills to go along with an impressive five aces and two block assists. Jonas Van Huizen also showed his attacking prowess as the setter finished the night with 11 points, including two aces, to go along with 42 assists.

Sam Flowerday led the way for TRU with a game- high 25 kills to go along with two aces. Thundersky Walkingbear and Corbin Ockerman chipped in with 10 kills each with Ockerman also throwing in an ace. Second-year middle Riley Brinnen came up clutch in key moments for TRU, bringing energy off the bench.

Quotable:
Cascades assistant coach Matt Chapdelaine
"There were some moments of lapsed focus, and we had quite a number of serving errors that contributed, but all in all I felt pretty proud of how the team came together in key moments and found ways to battle. We just didn't have enough of it today."

"I think the men need to remember that they get to play the game. They get to be out there with their brothers doing something pretty special. The work that they put in gives them the privilege to go out and enjoy something that a lot of people don't get to do. I think tomorrow they can come in there with a bit of that swagger and remember that they are out there to enjoy this."

Where they sit:
With the win TRU moves to 7-8 on the year and strengthen their hold on eighth place in the conference. The Cascades meanwhile, fall to 4-13 on the year. These two teams will be back in action tomorrow afternoon in Kamloops with a scheduled start time of 3 p.m.