Women’s Basketball News

Sports in the Canada West Conference continue as Keylyn Filewich of Winnipeg and Ja’Qualyn Gilbreath of Trinity Western dazzled on the basketball court. Rachel Paul of Calgary and Saskatchewan’s Zane Franklin excelled in hockey, while Sierra Parris-Kruger of Regina and Saskatchewan’s Dylan Mortensen dominated on the volleyball court.

Due to the COVID-related restrictions across Canada, U SPORTS is spotlighting Canada West athletes that would have otherwise been in the running for the U SPORTS Athlete of the Week for the period ending January 16, 2022.

Basketball

CW_BB.webp (610 KB)

Keylyn Filewich, Women’s Basketball, Winnipeg Wesmen

Keylyn Filewich stuffed the stat sheet for an unbeaten University of Winnipeg Wesmen team putting up 46 points, doling out eight assists, snatching up 18 rebounds, to go along with nine steals and a pair of blocks over two games.

Filewich now ranks in the top five of Canada West for points per game (19.2) and rebounds per game (10.4), while leading U SPORTS in field goals per game (8.8) and field goal percentage (58.5%).

On Friday, Filewich impressed with 28 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, leading Wesmen to a commanding 95-47 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons.

The fifth-year forward followed that up with another great performance, putting up 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, seven steals and two blocks in a more tightly contested win against the Bisons Saturday.

Ja'Qualyn Gilbreath, Men’s Basketball, Trinity Western Spartans

Gilbreath posted double-doubles in three matchups, all back-to-back, this weekend. The guard put up an astounding 38 points in the Spartans' first game, a 99-95 overtime loss against UFV and led the Spartans to its first two wins of the season on Friday and Saturday.

The Amarillo, Texas native now leads Canada West in points per game, averaging 26 on the season and third in U SPORTS.

The fifth-year student-athlete contributed on the defensive side of the ball as well, grabbing 34 rebounds and eight steals over the three games.

On Thursday, Gilbreath set the pace for the weekend's games, walking off the hardcourt with 38 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and five steals.

The next day, Gilbreath put up 24 points and 10 rebounds, going a tidy nine for nine from the free throw line in the Spartans' 78-73 win over Thompson Rivers University.  

The fatigue of playing major minutes in a back-to-back that included extra time didn't stop Gilbreath from posting a third double-double Saturday, with 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block.

Hockey

CW_hockey.webp (541 KB)

Rachel Paul, Women’s Hockey, Calgary Dinos

Calgary captain Rachel Paul led the Dinos in two important wins on the road.  

Paul's goal was the game-winner over Trinity Western on Saturday. The fifth-year forward went on to notch an insurance wrister in the third period. The team's captain was involved on three of the four Dinos' goals, putting up an assist on a second-period score by teammate Holly Reuther.

Paul also logged an assist in Friday's opening goal of the game, shaking off any holiday break rust early. The nursing student logged a +2 rating in the Dinos' 5-2 thwarting of the Spartans.

Zane Franklin, Men’s Hockey, Saskatchewan Huskies

Franklin notched six primary assists over the two-game weekend. He now leads Canada West and U SPORTS in assists with 18 on the season. He also chalked up a goal in the series split with the Cougars.

After the loss to Regina Friday, Franklin helped Saskatchewan bust open its scoring Saturday, feeding teammate Donovan Neuls from behind the net in the first.

Minutes later, Justin Ball was able to bury one off of Franklin's net work out front. The first-year forward went on to assist three goals in the second period, securing the Huskies' insurmountable lead, before adding one of his own in the third.

Volleyball

CW_VB.webp (385 KB)

Sierra Parris-Kruger, Women’s Volleyball, Regina Cougars

Parris-Kruger dazzled with 37 digs in just six games this past weekend to help the Regina Cougars bounce back after a 3-0 loss to sweep Winnipeg the next day.

The Cougars' defensive backbone posted 21 digs and five assists in the team's 3-0 victory over the visiting Wesmen Saturday.

Parris-Kruger now leads Canada West athletes in digs and sits second in U SPORTS rankings. 

Dylan Mortensen, Men’s Volleyball, Saskatchewan Huskies

Mortensen put away 40 kills in two back-and-forth wins this weekend, propelling the Huskies up the standings into a tie for first place in the East.

The fourth-year student-athlete laid down 29 kills on Friday, hit the floor for five digs, and chipped in three blocks to put up 32.5 points in a tense 3-2 win over Brandon.

The outside hitter followed that up with an 11-kill, five-dig performance as Saskatchewan took Saturday's game (3-1) for their fourth straight win.

Mortensen now leads Canada West and U SPORTS in total kills.