Saturday's Volleyball Recap

On Saturday, the PACWEST women’s volleyball schedule concluded with three exciting matches.

Capilano Blues 3
Camosun Chargers 1

The Blues showed again that they can play from behind and can win close matchups with a four-set win over the Chargers at Camosun.

Each of the four sets were close as these two battled in what could be a playoff preview.  The Blues won the first set 25-21 to take control, then carried that momentum into the second set winning 25-23.

After a pair of very competitive sets, the Chargers finally found the right formula and cut the Blues lead in half in the third set with a 25-16 victory.   They showed some life and had the lead late in the fourth set but couldn’t find a way to finish off the Blues and extend the match.  Instead, the top team in the Conference showed they had fight of their own and came back to win the set and the match 25-23, scoring five consecutive points to complete the comeback.

Next weekend is the regular season finale and the Blues (17-1) welcome the COTR Avalanche (6-12) and the Chargers (6-12) visit the Douglas Royals (6-12) in a match that will determine playoff positioning.

VIU Mariners 3
COTR Avalanche 1

The road warrior Mariners finished off the weekend sweep in Cranbrook with a four-set win over the hometown Avalanche.

They would set the tone early with a 25-19 victory in the first set, then carried that momentum over to the second and claimed a 25-20 win to take full control of the match.

The Avalanche showed some fight in the third using extra points to cut the Mariners lead, winning 26-24.  However, the Mariners were not phased and made a statement in the fourth set winning 25-12 to collect the win and the sweep.

Next weekend in the season finale the Mariners (14-4) host the CBC Bearcats (5-13) and the Avalanche (6-12) visit the Capilano Blues (17-1).

Douglas Royals 3
CBC Bearcats 2

Saturday night the Royals made things very interesting in the women’s volleyball standings pushing their way in a third-place tie with the Camosun Chargers and COTR Avalanche with only two playoff spots available heading into the season finale next weekend.

The visiting Bearcats opened the match with a first set win of 26-24 to pick up where they left off after their win on Friday.    That momentum however didn’t last long as the Royals bounced right back.

In the second, the home side found their groove and tied the match with a 25-21 win, then took the lead with a 25-18 win in the third.  As they looked to finish off the Bearcats in the fourth, the visitors fought back and went stride for stride before earning a set win of 28-26 forcing a fifth and decisive set.

In the last frame both schools again went back and forth displaying the parody between the two programs.  In the end, the Royals found just enough to finish off the Bearcats winning 15-13 to take the match and earn the weekend split.

Next weekend both schools will conclude the regular season, and both are still very much in the playoff hunt.  The Royals (6-12) welcome the Camosun Chargers (6-12) and the Bearcats (5-13) visit the VIU Mariners (14-4).