Avalanche Collide with Mariners

#3 VIU Mariners @ #2 COTR Avalanche – Friday February 24, 8:00pm MST | WATCH HERE

For the second straight season the Avalanche and Mariners will meet in a semi-final with a berth in the PACWEST gold medal match on the line.   If this year’s match is anything like last year’s the Avalanche faithful are in for an exciting contest. 

Last season the Mariners came out swinging capturing the first two sets and looked to be on cruise control, however the Avalanche had other ideas.  After staying alive with a 26-24 third set win, they kept that momentum going, forcing a fifth set with a 25-22 fourth set victory.  In the fifth the teams went back and forth before the Mariners took the match 15-12.

The Avalanche are the second seed for the third time in school history, but first since 2004.  They have never won a semi-final match and are hoping to change that in front of their hometown crowd.  Coming into the playoffs they won three of their final four matches, however those wins were against the bottom two teams in the Conference.  They stumbled coming out of the holiday break after a terrific first semester and are the only team to have beaten the top ranked Camosun Chargers this season. 

On the other side of the net, the Mariners have been hot and cold in the month of February finishing 2-4. Three of those matches went the distance and they won once. They are looking to get back to the gold medal match where they have been in four of the last five seasons including last year where they captured a silver.

These two teams met four times during the regular season with the Avalanche winning three of them.  Their last two meetings went to a fifth set with each team winning once.

Head-to-Head

Records: Mariners 10-10 – Avalanche 19-1
Sets Won: Mariners 42 – Avalanche 58
Sets Lost: Mariners 41 – Avalanche 11

Kill Leaders: Lucas Torres 253 (Mariners) – Diego Policarpo 260 (Avalanche)

Block Leaders: Daniel Mascarenhas 67 (Mariners) – Dylan Annala 36 (Avalanche)

Digs Leaders: Owen Dyck 132 (Mariners) – Vittor Mateus 146 (Avalanche)