Abbotsford – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades closed out a hard-fought three-game series with a four-set victory (25-27, 25-20, 25-21, 25-15) over the MacEwan University Griffins on Sunday afternoon at the UFV Athletic Centre.
The win sees the Cascades advance to the Canada West quarterfinal round next week against the UBC Thunderbirds.
“Playing in a game three in the playoffs is hard, and the Griffins came out fighting,” explained UFV outside hitter Lauren Attieh.
“I have so much respect for them, but I have a ton of respect for my team as well. We fought. It was every single point. Right now, it’s relief. We’re going to be happy about it today, and then we have UBC next weekend.”
The result also sees MacEwan’s season come to an end. Griffins head coach Chris Wandler noted that they had their chances in the match but were unable to get results in key moments.
“We had our opportunities after that first set with the ball in our hand and the game really close, but we just made too many errors at those critical points and that’s the difference. Margins are extremely small in Canada West, but even smaller when you get to the playoffs.”
“Kudos to Janelle’s team. Their senior athletes responded really well after last night… They deserved what they got today for sure.”
UFV’s Lauren Attieh led the match with 15 kills and five blocks, while Talia Attieh had 14 kills and four aces. Setters Cailin Bitter and Kinna Fisher split duties, collecting 25 assists and 15 assists respectively.
As they did all weekend, Kara Frith and Alyshia Bryks shouldered the majority of the attacking load for the Griffins, with 10 and 11 kills apiece, while fifth-year setter Payton Shimoda had 37 assists.
UFV seemed to have all the momentum after a pair of huge blocks from Sydney Wright and Cailin Bitter in the middle of the set. Despite leading 22-16, a number of uncharacteristic errors from UFV would let the Griffins back into the set late, and with it tied up at 25 Alana Murr found a block and a kill to give MacEwan the opening set win.
Errors continued to plague the Cascades, as the Griffins ramped up the pressure to start the second, but some strong serving and a massive block from UFV’s Kinna Fisher swung the momentum and pulled the set level. A Lauren Attieh block and kill gained the Cascades a lead, and Zoe Arca would seal the set 25-20 with a kill and an ace of her own.
A five serve run from Frith put the Griffins in the driver’s seat with an 8-2 lead in the third. UFV would claw back with strong serving runs from Mandi Feist and Wright to grab a three-point lead and reach the 20-point barrier first. A pair of Lauren Attieh kills would finish the set and put UFV on the brink of clinching the series.
And clinch the series they would, as six kills from Lauren Attieh helped the Cascades cruise throughout the fourth set. A Talia Attieh kill would make it 20-11 for the hosts, and a massive block from Feist would finish off the match and send UFV into the quarterfinals.
“Now it’s just immediately flipping over to UBC,” Fisher said after the match. “Focussing on our gameplan, watching video, and letting our bodies recover a bit. It’s about what’s next, and what we need to do when we take on UBC. I think this team is up for it and we’re excited for the challenge.”
With the win, the Cascades now look ahead to next week for another three-game series against UBC. The Thunderbirds finished second in the conference regular season standing with a 17-3 record, while winning both matches played against UFV in February.
Matches are set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (if necessary) at 5:30 p.m. PT in Vancouver. All matches can also be seen live on Canada West TV.
