The Final Six Are Ready

The final six women's teams are ready to make a run at Provincial GOLD. Here is a closer look at the teams that will open the Championship beginning on Thursday.

#1 VIU Mariners

The defending National Champion Mariners have been at the top of the CCAA rankings since the opening weekend of the season. 19 of their 23 victories have been courtesy of the sweep. They have an opening round bye as the top seed and will play in a PACWEST semi-final on Friday night.

PACWEST Record: 23-1
Sets – 70-7
Home – 12-0, Road – 11-1

Players To Watch:

#11 Karoline Tormena: This first year Mariner has been unstoppable with a PACWEST high 219 kills. The Brazilian has been the primary weapon this season and despite being keyed on continues to find ways to score points.

#8 Chantal Cumming: She is the general and the captain on the floor for the Mariners. In her fifth and final season she has been outstanding in the setter position distributing the ball evenly for a balanced offence.

#16 Danielle Groenendijk: In just her second season with the Mariners she has been an offensive threat with a total of 158 kills and has added 16 blocks.

Longest Conference winning streak – 23 straight matches from October 12 – February 15

Last FIVE playoff Matches:

2018 – CCAA Gold Medal Match – Win – 3-1 Douglas Royals
2018 – CCAA Championship Semi – Win – 3-0 Lakeland College
2018 – CCAA Quarterfinal - Win – 3-0 Cegep Andre-Laurendeau
2018 – PACWEST Gold Medal Match – Loss – 3-0 Douglas Royals
2018 – PACWEST Semi-Final – Win – 3-1 UFV Cascades

#2 Douglas Royals

The defending PACWEST champions are the second seed as they look to defend their title. They finished the season on a six game winning streak and receive a first round bye into a PACWEST semi-final on Friday.

PACWEST Record: 18-6
Sets – 57-31
Home – 9-3, Road – 9-3

Players To Watch:

#12 Caet McCorkell: No sophomore slump for Caet as she has gotten better as the season has gone on and has led the Royals with 193 kills. For the Royals to have success this weekend she will need to have a big tournament.

#6 Vania Oliveira: Last season she was the MVP of this very tournament. This season she tallied 182 kills and added 24 blocks to be a threat on both sides of the net.

#11 Abby Mitro and #13 Jane Kepler: Both ladies platoon as the team setter. They will need to quarterback the Royals to have a balanced offence if they want a chance to defend their title.

Longest Conference winning streak – 6 straight matches from February 1 - 16

Last FIVE playoff Matches:

2018 – CCAA Gold Medal Match – Loss – 3-1 VIU Mariners
2018 – CCAA Championship Semi – Win – 3-1 Humber Hawks
2018 – CCAA Quarterfinal - Win – 3-1 Grande Prairie Wolves
2018 – PACWEST Gold Medal Match – Win – 3-0 VIU Mariners
2018 – PACWEST Semi-Final – Win – 3-1 Capilano Blues

#3 Camosun Chargers

Since the calendar turned to 2019 the Chargers have caught fire. Down the stretch they won nine of their last 12 matches and were the only team to solve the top ranked VIU Mariners. They will play Thursday in a PACWEST quarterfinal against the host COTR Avalanche. During the regular season they swept the series only dropping one set.

PACWEST Record: 16-8
Sets – 54-36
Home – 8-4, Road – 8-4

Players To Watch:

#12 Mika Yamada: In her first season with the Charger she has been simply outstanding collecting 215 kills. On the defensive side she has tallied 203 digs making a strong case for the Rookie of the Year.

#2 Mychaela Roelants: The PACWEST digs leader has been awesome in her fifth and final season. She tallied 310 digs, the only player to collect over 300 this season. She is a leader on the floor and is hungry to snap the Chargers post season losing streak.

#16 Megan Ireland: The former PACWEST Rookie of the Year has come on in the latter stages of this season. She tallied a match high 16 kills in the Chargers regular season finale victory over the previously undefeated VIU Mariners. She will be a key component of the Chargers offensive attack in the post season along with an important piece of their defensive blocking scheme after 15 stuffs in the regular season.

Longest Conference winning streak – 6 straight matches from January 18 – February 10

Last FIVE playoff Matches:

2017 – PACWEST Quarterfinal – Loss – 3-2 Capilano Blues
2016 – PACWEST Quarterfinal – Loss – 3-1 COTR Avalanche
2015 – CCAA Bronze Medal Match – Win – 3-1 Humber Hawks
2015 – CCAA Bronze Semi-Final – Win – 3-2 VIU Mariners
2015 – CCAA Bronze Quarterfinal – Win – 3-2 d’Edouard-Montpetit

#4 UFV Cascades

It’s been a tail of two halves for the Cascades this season. Prior to the Christmas break they were 8-4 and had four straight wins. Once the second half of the season started in January they won three of their first four matches, but then started to cool off losing five of their next six and were swept in three-sets. Their primary weapon Amanda Matsui has been banged up, but should be relatively healthy to open the PACWEST championship on Thursday when they take on the fifth seeded Capilano Blues.

PACWEST Record: 14-10
Sets – 48-38
Home – 8-4, Road – 6-6

Players To Watch:
#12 Kim Bauder: In her final PACWEST season she has been the leader on the floor and has shown her versatility collecting 212 kills while at the same time leading her club with 275 digs. She’s even filled in as the setter from time to time and tallied 52 services aces.

#9 Amanda Matsui: When she’s healthy she as the capability to take over a match; however the Cascades have been desperately missing her in the lineup. She’s played just two sets in the last eight matches. Despite missing this time she has collected 181 kills this season and added 21 service aces.

#6 Hanna Hieltjes: With Matsui sidelined and the team keying on Bauder, Hieltjes started to emerge as another offensive threat for the Cascades. She finished with 106 kills, and will need to play an important role during the playoffs.

Longest Conference winning streak – 4 straight matches from November 16 - 24

Last FIVE playoff Matches:

2018 – PACWEST Bronze Medal Match – Win – 3-0 Capilano Blues
2018 – PACWEST Semi-Final – Loss – 3-1 VIU Mariners
2018 – PACWEST Quarterfinal – Win – 3-1 COTR Avalanche
2017 – PACWEST Quarterfinal – Loss – 3-1 COTR Avalanche
2016 – PACWEST Semi-Final – Loss – 3-1 VIU Mariners

#5 Capilano Blues

The Blues jumped out of the gate in October winning three of their first four matches. However once the calendar turned to November the Blues struggled and lost eight straight heading into the Christmas break. Following the break they continued to struggle losing their first four matches. The Blues went a total of 76 days without a victory. They will face the fourth seeded UFV Cascades on Thursday in a PACWEST quarterfinal in a rematch of last year’s bronze medal match. Against the Cascades this season the Blues lost three of four.

PACWEST Record: 8-16
Sets – 35-56
Home – 4-8, Road – 4-8

Players To Watch:

#11 Isabela Lima: She has been sensational for the Blues this season collecting 188 kills and 157 digs. She is the emotional leader of the team and the spark plug. If she can get hot, the Blues could make some noise in the playoffs.

#7 Meghan Koven: She is a threat each time she steps on the court. She finished with 181 kills and led her team with 171 digs.

#9 Anika Kolybaba: In the playoffs secondary scoring is so important. Kolybaba will need to take on this role for the Blues if they are going to have success. She finished with 90 kills and 121 digs during the regular season.

Longest Conference winning streak – 3 straight matches from February 2 - 9

Last FIVE playoff Matches:

2018 – PACWEST Bronze Medal Match – Loss – 3-0 UFV Cascades
2018 – PACWEST Semi-Final – Loss – 3-1 Douglas Royals
2018 – PACWEST Quarterfinal – Win – 3-1 CBC Bearcats
2017 – PACWEST Bronze Medal Match – Win – 3-0 COTR Avalanche
2017 – PACWEST Semi-Final – Loss – 3-2 Douglas Royals

#6 COTR Avalanche

The hosts of this year’s PACWEST championship tournament and will try and use the home crowd to their advantage. They last hosted in 2013 but unfortunately they didn’t qualify to participate. The Avalanche limp into the playoffs losing eight straight, winning just two sets along the way. As the sixth seed they will face the third seeded Camosun Chargers on Thursday in a PACWEST quarterfinal. The last time these two met in the post season was 2016 and the Avalanche upset the Chargers on route to their first ever PACWEST championship title. The Avalanche are hoping lightning can strike twice and will be well rested as they haven’t played since February 10th.

PACWEST Record: 4-20
Sets – 20-64
Home – 2-10, Road – 2-10

Players To Watch:

#9 Taylor Whittall: She has been the primary weapon for the Avalanche finishing with 188 kills this season and collected 81 digs. On the defensive side she had strong net play with 22 blocks.

#7 Mikaela Pushor: She along with Whittall have been a nice 1-2 punch for the Avalanche this season. She finished with 145 kills and 135 digs. She’ll need to have a big tournament for the home side to have success.

#2 Brooke Lightburn: A defensive specialist in the back court led the Avalanche with 256 digs. She will be relied upon heavily during the playoffs when they face the powerful hitters of the Camosun Chargers in the quarterfinal.

Longest Conference winning streak – 2 straight matches on November 9th and 10th

Last FIVE playoff Matches:

2018 – PACWEST Quarterfinal – Loss – 3-1 UFV Cascades
2017 – PACWEST Bronze Medal Match – Loss – 3-0 Capilano Blues
2017 – PACWEST Semi-Final – Loss – 3-0 VIU Mariners
2017 – PACWEST Quarterfinal – Win – 3-1 UFV Cascades
2016 – CCAA Placement Match – Win – 3-1 MSVU Mystics