Fraser Valley/Victoria (Dan Kinvig) – WBB: Gobeil, Cascades dominate second half, cruise past Vikes
Maddy Gobeil and the University of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball team proved once again to be road warriors, riding a dominant second half to a 68-54 victory over the Victoria Vikes in the B.C. capital.
The Vikes had no answer for sophomore point guard Gobeil, who racked up 25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Fellow second-year standout Deanna Tuchscherer also had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) as the Cascades improved to 12-2 in Canada West play while dropping UVic to 9-5.
UFV has now won six in a row on the road, including both games of a challenging weekend swing trip which began with a 64-56 victory at UBC on Friday.
“This was a tough road trip, and we challenged the group not to use any of the challenges of travel as an excuse, and I thought they really embraced that,” Cascades head coach Al Tuchscherer said. “They came in today really ready to play.”
Indeed, the Cascades were dialed in from the opening tip, especially at the defensive end, where they forced nine Vike turnovers en route to a 19-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The momentum turned on a dime, as UVic opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run highlighted by four points from Aleah Ashlee. At the other end of the floor, it was the Cascades struggling with ball security – they mustered just nine points in the frame as the Vikes took a 30-28 lead into the break.
UFV sorted things out in the locker room and began the third on an 11-0 run – Maddy Gobeil launched it with a three-pointer, and capped it with a driving layup. The Cascades maintained that cushion as they held a 48-41 lead heading to the fourth.
The Vikes got back to within three (52-49) after a Calli McMillan three, but the Cascades responded with an 11-2 surge led by Deanna Tuchscherer and Gobeil to essentially put the game away.
Natalie Rathler chipped in with nine points for the Cascades, and Nikki Cabuco scored eight.
CW scoring leader Ashlyn Day tallied 21 for the Vikes, but UFV made it difficult for her – she went just 4-for-14 from the field with a single three-pointer, but she did a great job of getting to the free throw line, where she went 12-for-12. McMillan added 16 points for UVic.
“Our second quarter was a bit of a letdown – we got away from how we wanted to play,” Coach Tuchscherer said. “Once again, we regrouped at halftime, and the girls came out really strong in the third quarter and executed really well three or four possessions in a row that set the tone for the rest of the half.
“We’ve been really challenging Maddy to up her game as a point guard, as a leader, and a communicator on our team. Quite frankly, she wasn’t very good at that in the first half. Dan (Nayebzadeh, assistant coach) had a really good conversation with her and got her back online, and she had a dominant second half for us, really controlled things.”
Up next on the schedule for the Cascades basketball teams are their final home games of the campaign – they host the Vikes next Friday (MBB 6 p.m., WBB 8 p.m.) and Saturday (MBB 3 p.m., WBB 5 p.m.) at the UFV Athletic Centre.
MVB: T-Birds complete sweep of Cascades
The UBC Thunderbirds wrapped up a weekend sweep of the University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball team, prevailing in three sets on Saturday afternoon.
In the midst of a grueling 10-games-in-18-days stretch, the Cascades made four changes to their starting lineup, and it paid dividends early, as the hosts scored the first three points of the match and had great energy as a group. The Thunderbirds, though, found their footing and rallied to win the first set 25-19, and continued to carry the momentum from there, taking the next two 25-13 and 25-18.
Up next for the Cascades volleyball teams is a home-and-home series vs. Trinity Western University – Thursday at the UFV Athletic Centre (MVB 6 p.m., WVB 8 p.m.) and Friday at the Langley Events Centre (WVB 6 p.m., MVB 8 p.m.).
“I thought we had a lot of guys who put up a good fight . . . they (UBC) are just really good,” UFV outside hitter Comrie Engbers said afterward. “They went on some runs on us . . . but I’m optimistic for the future, and looking forward to what’s coming next.”
Engbers had a pair of early kills as the Cascades led 8-5 in the first set, but the T-Birds rallied to take seven of the next eight points, headlined by four Michael Dowhaniuk kills, and they pulled away from there.
In the second, a Zarley Zalusky service run allowed UBC to open a 7-2 lead, and a Mason Greves run at the line midway through the set – highlighted by a pair of aces – paved the way for the visitors to take it in decisive fashion, 25-13.
In the third, back-to-back kills from Dunan Clark helped the T-Birds gain some separation at 10-7, and they kept the Cascades at bay the rest of the way, with Dowhaniuk going to work from the service line late in the set to help UBC close it out.
“We’re getting used to playing a lot of games in a small amount of days, so it’s nothing new to us at this point,” Engbers said afterward, noting the workload the Cascades have faced of late. “We’ve got to make sure we’ve got our bodies ready, our minds ready, and just stay focused on doing our jobs, playing free, and supporting each other.”
Engbers set the tone for the Cascades, posting seven kills to go with four digs. Van Huizen registered 16 assists, libero Reece Wilson had six digs, and Ryan Adams and Bailey Burdick contributed four kills apiece.
Dowhaniuk had a huge game for the T-Birds, racking up 17 kills and hitting .636, and adding four service aces. Setter Mason Greves had four aces of his own to go with 30 assists, Jonathan Lee had nine digs, and Dunan Clark chipped in with five kills.
WVB: Thunderbirds battle back to beat Cascades in four
The University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team started strong, but the UBC Thunderbirds’ finishing kick proved to be too much on Saturday evening at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The Cascades took the first set 25-23, but the Thunderbirds came storming back to win the next three by scores of 25-13, 25-20 and 25-17, thus securing a sweep of the weekend series in Abbotsford.
Saturday’s result, combined with a similar four-set UBC win on Friday, allowed the Thunderbirds to vault into second place in the West Division at 7-5; UFV is in fourth at 5-7.
“We played better than last night,” Cascades head coach Janelle Rozema analyzed. “We controlled our contacts a little better. We were working on decision-making, so I think we were really aware of that and making good choices. I definitely think it was a step forward from last night, but still a ways to go.”
The T-Birds built leads of 5-1 and 10-4 in the first set, with Cara Kovacs picking up a trio of kills and an ace, but the Cascades battled back. They scored six out of seven points midway through the set, with Amanda Matsui blasting three kills during that stretch, to go ahead 15-14. Rookie setter Kinna Fisher came off the bench to notch an ace and then set up Matsui and Mo Likness for crucial kills down the stretch as UFV took it 25-23.
The second set was all UBC, though – they raced out to a 7-1 lead and didn’t look back from there, hitting a scorching .412 as a team compared to UFV’s .037.
In the third set, the two teams were even at 14-14, but UBC gained some separation with back-to-back kills from Trinity Solecki, and they were able to maintain a modest lead the rest of the way and take it 25-20.
The fourth set played out in similar fashion – a Brynn Pasin service run gave UBC a 16-14 lead at the technical timeout, and they would dominate down the stretch, scoring eight of the last nine points to end the match 25-17.
“We had a hard time closing the end of rallies,” Rozema said, reflecting on her squad’s struggles late in the third and fourth sets. “We were playing nice long rallies still, but we just weren’t finishing them.”
Amanda Matsui registered 10 kills for the Cascades, and Likness added five of her own to go with two solo blocks. Emily Matsui (15) and Sadie Wilson (12) both reached double-digit digs for the hosts.
Kovacs had a second straight strong outing for the Thunderbirds, racking up a game-high 14 kills. Solecki and Claire Cossarini had eight kills apiece, and setter Lucy Borowski had 36 assists and four service aces.
Up next for the Cascades volleyball teams is a home-and-home series vs. Trinity Western University – Thursday at the UFV Athletic Centre (MVB 6 p.m., WVB 8 p.m.) and Friday at the Langley Events Centre (WVB 6 p.m., MVB 8 p.m.).
MBB: Vikes blitz Cascades in Victoria
The University of the Fraser Valley men’s basketball team endured a tough night on the road in the provincial capital, dropping a 94-57 decision to the Victoria Vikes.
The Vikes carried the play from start to finish, improving to 11-1 while dropping the Cascades to 9-7 in Canada West conference action.
“They blitzed us from start to finish,” UFV head coach Joe Enevoldson said. “Credit to them – they’re a very good basketball team. They’ve got veterans, they’ve got shooters, they’ve got a great rebounding presence. Flat-out, they kicked our butts. There was not one facet of the game where we were better than them tonight.”
The hosts steadily pulled away throughout the first quarter, leading 30-16 at the end of the frame thanks to a balanced attack. Seven different players hit the scoresheet, led by Scott Kellum with six points.
It was more of the same from there, as the Vikes continued to assert themselves defensively, limiting UFV to 35.5 per cent shooting from the field for the night. They also owned the boards, out-rebounding the Cascades 52-38.
The Vikes got great production off the bench – Ethan Boag scored 18 points, Elias Ralph had 16, and Trent Monkman had 11. Veteran point guard Kellum was the lone double-digit scorer among the starters, going for 17.
Aidan Wilson and Dylan Kinley led the UFV offence with nine points apiece, while Jamar Ergas, Dario Lopez, and Ahmad Athman scored seven points each.
“We executed better (offensively) than we have in a long time, we just missed shots,” Enevoldson analyzed afterward. “Part of that is due to fatigue and schedule – we played a tough UBC team on Friday, and another top team today in UVic.
“We’re coming back home, taking Monday off, and then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday back at practice. If we’re not chomping at the bit next week, wanting to get better, it’ll be the same result next weekend. We have to value practice, period.”
Up next on the schedule for the Cascades basketball teams are their final home games of the campaign – they host the Vikes next Friday (MBB 6 p.m., WBB 8 p.m.) and Saturday (MBB 3 p.m., WBB 5 p.m.) at the UFV Athletic Centre.
