Abbotsford/Calgary (Jordie Arthur) – Womens Volleyball Cascades top Dinos in four for fourth straight victory: The UFV Cascades started their second semester slate off with a four-set victory (27-29, 25-22, 25-23, 25-12) over the Calgary Dinos on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The Cascades fell behind 13-8 early in the first, before clawing back to take a 14-13 lead. The teams traded blows for the remainder of the set, but with the Dinos trailing 27-26 they managed the final three points to take it 29-27.
The second started much the same as the first, with the Cascades falling behind early, but they battled back to come out on top of a tightly contested set 25-22.
Both teams exchanged runs throughout the third, but UFV took the advantage late, leading 23-20 before finishing off the set 25-23.
The fourth was all Cascades, as they built a 7-0 lead with Mo Likness at the service line, before increasing the advantage to 19-10, and eventually closing out the match 25-12.
Gabrielle Attieh posted a game-high 19 kills, while also leading her team in digs with 15. The UFV captain’s big swings set the tone for the cascades all night long.
Rookie Natalie Lemoine-Sells notched 11 kills, 13 digs, and four blocks for UFV in another solid performance, while Likness added seven kills, four blocks, and a game-high four aces in the win.
Daisy Olsen led the Dinos with a team-high 13 kills, while Mya Sheridan posted seven blocks, and Michaela Alongi notched a game-high 19 digs.
Cascades first-year outside hitter Natalie Lemoine-Sells
“It feels amazing. That game was such a grind with the first sets so close, but we really gelled together and figured it out for the fourth, so it feels really nice.”
We have been playing and training really hard for the last 10 days, so I think just finding our rhythm was pretty easy and we trust each other so much I think we lean back on our training if things have been crazy the last couple weeks.”
“Tomorrow we will watch this game again and see the little fine-tuning things that we need to do, and just go back and play the volleyball that we did tonight. Come out fierce and ready to go, and hopefully it’s another good one.”
The Cascades improve to 8-5 on the year with their fourth consecutive victory, and eighth win in their last nine. Meanwhile, the Dinos see their six-game win streak come to an end with the defeat and fall to 9-4 on the season.
The two teams face off again on Saturday in Abbotsford. First serve is scheduled for 5pm, and the game can be seen live on Canada West TV.
Men’s Volleyball – Benne, Van Huizen, help lead Cascades past Dinos in five
Jonas Van Huizen and Nimo Benne had strong outings to help the UFV Cascades pick up the five-set victory (26-28, 25-22, 25-16, 18-25, 15-8) over the Calgary Dinos on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The Cascades had a 24-22 lead in the opening set, but Louis Kunstmann picked up three kills, a block and an ace down the stretch to help the Dinos come back to take it 28-26.
Both teams traded shots again in the second, but with a 22-20 lead, UFV would hold on to close out the set 25-22.
UFV took control early in the third, building a 16-9 advantage before finishing it off 25-16. The Dinos did not go away quietly, as they took a 12-7 lead in the fourth before extending it to 19-12 and closing it out 25-18.
UFV proved to be too much to handle in the decisive set, as they leapt out to leads of 10-4, and 13-5, before ending the match 15-8.
Nimo Benne had a massive performance for the Cascades with game highs in kills (19), aces (6), and points (26.5), while also adding 11 digs in the match.
Van Huizen also showed a strong performance for UFV, notching 44 set assists, three aces, seven kills and six digs in his first game back from an injury.
Kunstmann had a solid game for Calgary, picking up nine kills, three aces, and four blocks in the game, while Erik Godwin posted 10 kills and 10 digs in the effort.
Cascades setter Jonas Van Huizen
“It feels good to be in the win column again and we’re going to keep pushing. We want to make playoffs this year, so it’s a step in the right direction.”
“It feels amazing to be back and doing whatever I can to help the team. Did good today, have to keep consistent.”
The Cascades move to 3-10 on the year with the win, while the Dinos drop to 4-9 this season. The two teams will matchup again on Saturday in Abbotsford with both teams looking to pull themselves closer to the final Canada West playoff spot. First serve is scheduled for 7pm, and the game can be seen live on Canada West TV.
