DAVID LARKINS, Wesmen Athletics
As the Winnipeg Wesmen looked for their first winning streak, Liam Kristjanson may have found a new role.
Kristjanson subbed in and took over in the middle in the second set and had eight kills to help the Wesmen men's volleyball team rally for a 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-16) win over the Saskatchewan Huskies in Canada West conference action Saturday at the Duckworth Centre.
Kristjanson, the sophomore who was named to the 2019-20 U Sports all-rookie team, has seen his playing time reduced in 2021 with competition at the left side position. The 6-foot-10 Kristjanson, however, took advantage of the new role, hitting .727 with no errors on 11 swings. He also added two blocks.
The Wesmen held Saskatchewan to .031 hitting, a season-low for an opponent this season.
Daniel Thiessen and Eric Dornez both had 12 kills to lead the Wesmen. Thiessen hit .417 with two errors on 24 swings, while adding a match-high three aces, and Dornez hit a career-high .348 with four errors on 23 swings.
Nigel Nielsen added eight kills and seven digs.
Darian Picklyk, who leads the country in digs per set, had a match-high 11 digs for his fifth double-digit effort in six matches this season.
Skylar Varga's 11 kills led the Huskies, who hit -.130 in the fourth set and didn't surpass the .125 mark the entire match. Dylan Mortenson added nine kills and three aces.
—#REPTHEW—
