Fraser Valley/Calgary/Edmonton (Jordie Arthur) – Men’s Volleyball: Strong performance from the middle boosts Cascades to 3-0 victory over Griffins
The UFV Cascades got it done as they picked up a three-set victory (25-22, 25-20, 25-23) over the MacEwan Griffins on Friday in Edmonton.
As it happened:
The teams battled back and forth in the first, but with the Griffins leading 21-19 UFV scored 6 of the next seven points, including three kills from Nimo Benne to take it 25-22.
UFV slowly built a 15-11 lead in set two and despite MacEwan cutting the advantage to one at 17-16, the Cascades would pull away with four of the last five points to win the set 25-20.
The Griffins grabbed a 6-3 lead in the third, but UFV stormed back to go up 8-6. The teams traded blows to eventually find themselves level on 22, but it was once again the Cascades that got it done late in the set, scoring three of the next four points to seal it 25-23.
Top performers:
Nimo Benne led all hitters in the game with 18 kills, and added four digs in the effort for the Cascades. Nathan Hall posted a game-high 10 digs at libero for UFV.
The Cascades middles also had strong performances as Ryan Hampe had nine kills and Tyson Ardell had six to hit .571 and .417 respectively.
Jefferson Morrow led the way for the Griffins with 11 kills on the night, while Alexei Wallisser had eight kills, and Alexander Lyndon posted 28 assists.
Quotable:
Cascades head coach Nathan Bennett
“It’s two points in the bank, but now we have another game tomorrow that we are already looking forward to.”
“We have to learn to be a driver in the match. Overall, we can’t rely on the other team’s mistakes. We have to push the match to get what we want out of it and then we will get more of the results we want.”
“Our middles had a good night tonight, especially offensively. They were attacking well, but I think we have another gear defensively.”
Where they sit:
With the win the Cascades improve to 4-11 on the year, while the Griffins fall to 0-15.
The two teams face each other once again on Saturday in Edmonton. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. (PT), and the game can be streamed live on Canada West TV.
Women’s Volleyball: Early leads pay off as Cascades cruise past Griffins
The UFV Cascades jumped on the MacEwan Griffins early in every set, as the U SPORTS No. 5 ranked team got past their hosts in three sets (25-12, 25-21, 25-23).
As it happened:
Cascades middle Zoe Arca started the match with a seven-point service run that included three aces to put her team up 7-0. Moments later Lauren Attieh picked up four kills in the span of five points to help increase the lead to 16-5, and the Cascades cruised to an opening set win 25-12.
It was a similar story in the second, as three early aces from Cailin Bitter gave the Cascades an 8-2 lead. The Griffins got back within one at 8-7, but UFV continued to put on the pressure making it 21-14 before closing out the set 25-21.
UFV took a 7-4 lead in the third, but the Griffins stormed back to take a 14-10 lead. MacEwan led 20-18 late, but the Cascades were not going to be stopped as they scored seven of the next 10 points to end the match 25-23.
Top performers:
Emily Matsui had a game-high 14 digs to lead the Cascades defensively. On the offensive side, Lauren Attieh had a team leading 15 kills to go with 10 digs, and Gabrielle Attieh added 12 kills and 10 digs. Cailin Bitter posted 24 assists to go with her three aces and five digs in the match.
Mariah Bereziuk posted a team-high 14 kills and 11 digs for the Griffins, while teammate Emma Brooks notched nine kills in the effort.
Quotable:
Cascades head coach Janelle Rozema
“We played a really clean execution game tonight. Cailin [Bitter] and Kinna [Fisher] moved the ball around really well using all our offensive threats.”
“Mo [Likness] was out for health reasons tonight, and Zoe Arca really stepped up to the challenge. She started the match with some tough serves and got some really good blocks at key times.”
Where they sit:
With the win the Cascades extend their win streak to six matches and have now won 10 of their last 11 to improve their season record to 10-5.
Meanwhile, the loss sees the Griffins fall to 2-13 on the season.
The two teams face each other once again on Saturday in Edmonton. First serve is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (PT), and the game can be streamed live on Canada West TV.
Men’s Basketball: Kinley drops 30 as Cascades use fourth quarter to topple Dinos
The UFV Cascades picked up an important win thanks to a fourth quarter push to knock off the Calgary Dinos 93-82 on Friday night at the UFV Athletic Centre.
As it happened:
After a solid start, the Cascades took a 23-19 lead into the second quarter, but Calgary stuck right there with them. The Dinos cut the lead to just two points heading into the half thanks in part to 17 first half points from Mason Foreman.
The Dinos outscored UFV 25-17 in the third to take a six-point lead into the final frame, but the Cascades caught fire. The Cascades held Calgary to only 13 points in the fourth, while knocking down 30 of their own to seal it 93-82.
Top performers:
Dylan Kinley continued his dominant play for the Cascades since the new year, scoring a game-high 30 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. The fourth-year guard went 7-10 from beyond the arc.
Chris Jackson and Dario Lopez each notched 15 points on the night, while Matthias Klim hit three of four from three-point range to add 13 points of his own.
Mason Foreman notched a team-high 22 points, while adding eight rebounds in the defeat. Teammate Noah Wharton added 17 points, nine assists, and five rebounds on the night.
Quotable:
Cascades Guard Dylan Kinley
“Thisreally just means a lot for the squad. We really take pride in playing defensively and playing team basketball, moving the ball, playing fast, and grabbing every rebound we can.”
“We are doing the little things in shoot. Just trying to get our shots up, get the ball moving, and my teammates keep finding me all the time so it’s all love, all around.”
“It’s that intensity that coach Joe [Enevoldson] has been bringing in practice lately. He wants to own the glass every game no matter who we are playing. We have to come out with that same intensity tomorrow, and maybe keep our head a bit cooler in the third because tonight we lost it a little bit.”
Where they sit:
With the win the Dinos improve to 10-3 on the season, while the Cascades drop to 8-3 on the year.
The two teams clash again on Saturday for the Cascades annual Hall of Fame night with tip-off set for 7pm at the UFV Athletic Centre. The game can also be streamed live on Canada West TV.
Women’s Basketball : Cascades drop decision to Dinos
The Calgary Dinos strong second quarter propelled them to a 69-58 victory over the UFV Cascades on Friday night at the UFV Athletic Centre.
As it happened:
After a tight first quarter, the Dinos exploded to outscore the Cascades 24-11 in the second.
UFV reduced the deficit to just five in the third quarter, but Calgary proved to be too much to overcome late as they closed out the game 69-58.
The Dinos shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc going 7-18 on the day, while the Cascades went 2-12 from distance. The Cascades turned the ball over 31 times compared to Calgary’s 25 on the day.
Top performers:
Calgary’s Annacy Palmer led all scorers with 20 points, while shooting 7-14 on the in the game. Amélie Collin added 11, and Pollyanna Storie posted a team-high seven rebounds.
Maddy Gobeil led the way for the Cascades with 11 points and eight rebounds. Nikki Cabuco and Deanna Tuchscherer finished the game with 12 points apiece, while Julia Tuchscherer notched eight points and 10 rebounds.
Quotable:
Cascades forward Natalie Rathler
“We knew they were a strong team, and we just didn’t come out ready to play. It took until half time to kind of regroup and play to what our standard is, and what our standard should be, so I think we just have to take that second half tonight and bring that tomorrow.”
“I think it’s just a matter of showing up to practice and having goals that we are looking to achieve. I think all of us are really driven players, so as long as we can come together and work in practice and games then we’ll manage to succeed.”
Where they sit:
With the win the Dinos improve to 10-3 on the season, while the Cascades drop to 8-3 on the year.
The two teams clash again on Saturday with tip-off set for 5pm at the UFV Athletic Centre. The game can also be streamed live on Canada West TV.
