Bronzed

The PACWEST champion VIU Mariners are national bronze medalists for the second straight season after a four-set win over the Augustana Vikings on Saturday.

After battling all weekend in Manitoba, the Mariners dug deep on Saturday to earn their third straight national medal and program’s 20^th.

They would open the match with a 25-17 win to strike first against the Alberta wildcard entry.  That momentum swung in the second set as the Vikings came back with a 28-26 victory to even the match.

In the third, the Mariners stuck to their game plan and showed their veteran experience to win a 28-26 set of their own to retake the lead.  They continued to play well in the fourth set and earned a 25-22 win to earn the national bronze.  Player of the Match Lauren Hoard and Regan Ingram created a well-balanced attack with 15 kills each while Grace Brisebois was a key component and tallied 14 in her final collegiate match and collected 54 along with nine aces and 11 blocks throughout the weekend and was named a tournament First Team All-Star.

Libero Jordy Exner showed why she is one of the best in the nation with 26 digs in the match and 63 over the weekend.   Following the tournament she was named a Second Team All-Star.