Edmonton/Fraser Valley – Women’s Volleyball : Cascades fall to Spartans in playoff opener
The University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team dropped their playoff opener on the road in Langley on Thursday, falling in three sets to the Trinity Western Spartans.
The Spartans, who hold down the No. 1 spot in the U SPORTS national rankings, prevailed 25-20, 25-16, 25-15 at the Langley Events Centre in the first match of Pool A round-robin play for both teams.
In other Pool A action on Thursday, the Brandon Bobcats outlasted the Calgary Dinos in a five-set thriller (25-20, 26-28, 22-25, 25-19, 20-18) at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The Cascades now enjoy home court advantage for the balance of the first round of the post-season, by virtue of the fact they’re co-hosting the pool with Trinity Western. They take on Brandon on Friday (6 p.m.) and Calgary on Saturday (4 p.m.) at the UFV Athletic Centre.
“I feel like we played the best we’ve played Trinity Western so far,” Cascades head coach Janelle Rozema said afterward, alluding to the fact her squad faced the Spartans four times during the regular-\ season. “Our goal is to peak at the right time, so to play a team that’s played us tough in the past and have a competitive match against them gives us hope.
“We get the next two games at home, but (losing the round-robin opener) obviously puts more pressure on us, though, to have to take the next two games to have a solid chance to advance. But our group has responded well to pressure in the past, and this will be a good experience for us.
“We want to show that not only are we worthy to quality for playoffs, we want to show we’re worthy of advancing to the next round.”
TWU edged past the Cascades through a strong defensive effort by the entire lineup, holding UFV to a kill rate of .026. The Spartans hit .250 on the night.
The Cascades hung with the Spartans during a closely contested first set – the two teams were level at 14-14, but TWU’s Savannah Purdy went on a service run to help her team open a four-point lead, and they kept UFV at bay from there. Purdy registered three aces in the set.
The Spartans carried the momentum throughout the second set, limiting the Cascades to six kills en route to a 25-16 triumph.
UFV dealt with some adversity early in the third as right side Sadie Wilson was forced to exit due to injury. TWU built an early 6-1 lead, but the Cascades battled back to tie it 9-9 with Grace Warkentin picking up a trio of kills in quick succession. The Spartans pulled away from there, though, closing out the match 25-15.
Warkentin led UFV in kills, finishing with six kills on a rate of .312. Wilson registered five kills, while Amanda Matsui was limited to three kills. Cailin Bitter posted 19 assists, and Emily Matsui’s 13 digs were a team-high.
Ansah Odoom (nine kills) and Meaghan Mealey (eight kills) were the most prolific Spartans on the night.
Men’s Volleyball: Cascades drop three-set decision to host Golden Bears
The University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball team gave the host Alberta Golden Bears a strong push in two of three sets in their Canada West playoff debut, but ultimately fell to the top-seeded squad on Thursday evening in Edmonton.
The U SPORTS No. 5 Golden Bears prevailed 25-22, 25-13, 25-20 at Saville Community Sports Centre.
The Cascades (0-1) are back in action on Friday, facing the UBC Thunderbirds (0-1) in the Pool B round robin. Game time is 3 p.m. Pacific and will be webcast at CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op.
“In the second set we didn’t really show up, but we played well in the first and third,” UFV head coach Nathan Bennett said afterward. “They (the Golden Bears) are more physical, more polished – they’re a really good team.
“Our team, in general, needs to find another level of battle, just to be in the fight. Once we find that sense of urgency, we’ll be pretty good.”
Nimo Benne led UFV with 10 kills on 26 attempts, adding six digs and two aces. Rookie setter Jonas Van Huizen had 22 assists and three kills, while fellow first-year Tyson Ardell register three kills of his own.
Isaac Heslinga led Alberta with a 10 kills, with Jordan Canham and Billy Johnstone adding nine and eight each, respectively.
Canham’s four kills led for the Bears in the first set, but eight service errors for the hosts gave UFV life. Alberta would pull away late, though, to take it 25-22.
Alberta dominated the second, needing just over 20 minutes to earn a 25-13 win.
The Cascades mounted another push in the third, thanks to 11 kills as a team. But four blocks from the Bears, and four powerful kills from Johnstone, were the difference as the Bears closed it out 25-20.
“When our serve-receive was on, we were siding out pretty well,” Bennett said. “When our serve-receive was off, I think our attackers were surprised by the physicality on the other side. Then we just have to learn to make smarter shots.”
