Fraser Valley/Vancouver/Kelowna (Jordie Arthur) – Womens’ Volleyball: Cascades fend off comeback attempt from Heat
Abbotsford, BC – The U SPORTS No. 4-ranked UFV Cascades managed to fend off a late comeback attempt from the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday night at the UFV Athletic Centre. After the Cascades took the opening two sets, the Heat battled back to force a decisive fifth, but UFV finished strong to close out the match (25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 24-26, 15-11) and capture their 10th consecutive Canada West match victory.
UFV shot out to comfortable leads on their way to take the first two sets. The Cascades looked to be on their way to a three-set sweep as they built a 17-10 lead in the third, but UBCO fought back with a 15-4 run to take the set.
The Cascades had another chance to close it out with a 24-20 lead in the fourth, but six straight points from the Heat extended the match again.
UFV took a 13-9 lead in the final frame, and the Cascades finally found a way to seal the match with a pair of Mo Likness kills.
Top performers
Cascades libero Emily Matsui had a tremendous match for the home side, as she notched a career-high 28 digs. She stood out on the defensive side all night with a number of highlight reel plays to keep the ball alive.
Gabrielle Attieh paced the Cascades offence with 18 kills and three aces in the effort, while setter Cailin Bitter picked up 40 assists, and Mo Likness notched a team-high nine blocks.
Jade Bussard led the Heat with 17 kills and two aces on the night, while Abigail Dueck had 41 assists, and Sydney Grills picked up 15 digs.
Quotable
UFV middle Alicja Hardy-Francis
“I think we came out pretty strong, and as the match went on, they kind of came back, but I think it’s pretty cool the way our team came together to get the win.”
“No matter what happens we are going to be together, and no matter what kind of pressure we are under we just know that we are going to fight together.”
Where they sit
UFV extends their win streak to 10 games and improves their record to 14-5 this season. Meanwhile the Heat fall to 8-11 on the year.
The two teams face off again in the rematch on Saturday afternoon. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the UFV Athletic Centre.
Men’s Volleyball: Cascades drop three-set decision to Heat
Abbotsford, BC – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades fell in straight sets (25-19, 25-23, 25-18) to the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The Heat built a 20-14 advantage on their way to take the opening set. The teams traded blows in the second to find themselves level at 21 apiece. The Cascades made it 23-22, but the Heat picked up the final three points of the set to finish it. UBCO built a 20-15 lead in the third and, despite pushback from UFV, the visitors scored the final four points of the match to end it 25-18.
Top performers
Cascades setter Jonas Van Huizen did a bit of everything for the hosts on Friday, picking up four kills, and leading his team in digs (7) blocks (2) and assists (20). Caleb Kastelein notched a team-high seven kills in the effort.
Renn Petryk led the Heat with 10 kills in the match, while Zach Van Geel had 28 assists and seven digs in the victory.
Quotable
UFV outside hitter Josiah Kruger
“I think we need to improve a bit on the details in the game. They’re a really good team and they came out swinging, but I think we just have to prepare a bit better for tomorrow.”
“I think tomorrow we have to expect them to come out swinging just like they did today. We just have to get a good sleep tonight and prepare our best for tomorrow. We know these guys are good, but we know that we’re good too.”
Where they sit
UFV sees their record drop to 4-17 with the loss, while the Heat improve to 5-14 in the campaign.
The two teams will clash once again on Saturday afternoon, with the first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. at the UFV Athletic Centre.
Women’s Basketball: Cascades second quarter outburst propels them to victory over UBC
Vancouver, BC – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades knocked off the UBC Thunderbirds 68-59 on Friday evening at War Memorial Gym.
UFV trailed 18-13 after shooting just 4-14 in the first quarter, but nine second quarter points off the bench from Natalie Rathler helped the visitors heat up. The Cascades went 10 of 20 from the field in the frame to outscore the Thunderbirds 23-9 and take a 36-27 lead into the break.
UFV took a 51-42 lead into the fourth before extending their advantage to 17 points on a 12-4 run. UBC responded with an 11-0 run of their own to cut the lead to six in the final minute, but that was as close as they came.
Top performers
Natalie Rathler sparked the Cascades with 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Maddy Gobeil scored a team-high 16 points. Julia Tuchscherer added 14 points, three blocks, and five rebounds for UFV.
Sara Toneguzzi led the Thunderbirds with 16 points and five rebounds, while Azalya Forstbauer had a game-high 13 rebounds to go with eight points.
Quotable
UFV head coach Al Tuchscherer
“UBC is a hardworking team that plays with a lot of energy in this building. I think we did a good job weathering the storm in the first quarter, and our defence settled in for the second. We are two of the better defensive teams in the conference so we came in knowing it would be tough to score buckets tonight.”
“Nat [Rathler] is the x-factor here. She brings a lot of things to our team. She anchors our defence and has developed her offensive game. The fact we can bring her off the bench says a lot because Nat is a player that can have a pretty significant impact.”
Where they sit
UFV sees their record improve to 12-5 with the win, while UBC slides to 10-7 on the year.
The two teams will play the second half of their back-to-back on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (PT) at UBC’s War Memorial Gym.
Men’s Basketball: Cascades unable to topple Thunderbirds on Friday
Vancouver, BC – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades fell 92-68 to the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday at War Memorial Gym.
UBC jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the opening minutes. Both teams struggled with their shot through the rest of the first frame, each hitting less than 30% of their shots from the field, but the Cascades cut into the UBC lead to trail 18-13 lead after the first.
The Thunderbirds began the second quarter on a 10-2 run before taking a 44-28 advantage into the break. An 18-6 run from UBC in the third put the game out of reach.
Top performers
Dylan Kinley and Courtney Anderson led the Cascades with 12 points apiece. UFV’s Chris Jackson pulled down 11 rebounds, which was a game high.
Triston Matthews and James Woods scored 20 points each to lead the Thunderbirds. Matthews also had 10 rebounds to record a double-double, while Woods led the team with four three-pointers on only seven attempts.
Quotable
UFV head coach Joe Enevoldson
“We need to play with a sense of urgency. We are 7-10 and there is a log jam for a playoff spot. We have to play with a higher degree of urgency, and we didn’t do that tonight. Last week was similar on the Friday night, but Saturday we came out with a great amount of resolve and I’m hopeful that the character of our athletes will show through to do that again tomorrow.”
“My goal right now is to see if we can be a little bit better tomorrow night. If we can, we give ourselves a chance to be successful. We are getting towards playoffs, so we have to be playing our best basketball. We can’t have these inconsistent ebbs and flows in effort.”
Where they sit
UBC sees their record improve to 12-5 with the win, while UFV drops to 7-10 so far this season.
The two teams will play the second half of their back-to-back on Saturday at 6 p.m. (PT) at UBC’s War Memorial Gym.
