Mariners Battle Avalanche
They haven't met in the playoffs since 2017, now they face each other with a berth in the gold medal match on the line
#4 COTR Avalanche @ #1 VIU Mariners – Friday February 24, 6:00pm | WATCH HERE
The four-time defending CCAA champion VIU Mariners open their playoff title defence on Friday in a semi-final match with the hosts of the PACWEST championship tournament; the COTR Avalanche.
They met four times during the regular season and the Mariners didn’t drop a single set. The closet they came was a 35-33 marathon at COTR on January 14th. The Mariners are no stranger to being the top seed in the PACWEST postseason. The last time they were not the #1 seed was in 2018 but still earned a trip to the nationals and responded by winning gold.
It has been an incredible run by the Mariners, winning a PACWEST medal every single season since 1995. That’s a PACWEST medal in 27 straight seasons which includes 17 gold, seven silver and three bronze. This season they are vying for their 18th gold which has some extra meaning as the hosts of the CCAA nationals.
The Avalanche limp into the playoffs winning twice in 10 matches since the calendar flipped to 2023 and overall, they finished 4-5 on their home floor. They haven’t played a home match since January 21st as they played six straight on the road to wrap up the regular season.
The last time the Mariners and Avalanche met in the playoffs was a semi-final in 2017 which the Mariners won in three-straight sets. Oddly enough that match was played at VIU and this year the tournament is at the College of the Rockies, and they meet again. That 2017 playoff tournament was also the last time the Avalanche won a playoff match. As the fourth seed they defeated the fifth seeded UFV Cascades in four sets.
The last time the Avalanche hosted the PACWEST championship was in 2019 as the sixth seed, falling to the third seeded Camosun Chargers in a quarterfinal. Their last Conference medal was a gold in 2016 when they were able to beat the Mariners in the final.
The winner of this semi-final will play for PACWEST gold on Saturday evening.
Head-to-Head
Records: Avalanche 7-13 – Mariners 19-1
Sets Won: Avalanche 28 – Mariners 57
Sets Lost: Avalanche 44 – Mariners 12
Kill Leaders: Claire Newsome 156 (Avalanche) – Jane Lytvynenko 247 (Mariners)
Block Leaders: Hannah Klassen 44 (Avalanche) – Cassidy Kitchen 23 (Mariners)
Digs Leaders: Dani Bryant 202 (Avalanche) – Mika Yamada 237 (Mariners)