Fraser Valley – Men’s Basketball: Klim sets single-game blocks record as Cascades conclude regular season with win over Huskies
Abbotsford, BC – Matthias Klim recorded a U SPORTS record 12 shot blocks as the UFV Cascades finished their regular season schedule on a high with an 83-79 victory over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday.
As it happened:
Fifth-year senior Courtney Anderson notched nine first quarter points to get the Cascades started in his final home game, but eight points from the Huskies’ Tyrese Potoma helped them keep pace and the teams ended the frame even at 20. The teams traded blows in the second, but Saskatchewan finished the half on a 10-2 run to carry a seven-point lead into the break.
UFV pulled back within two on the first possession of the fourth, and the teams would find themselves level again at 75 with 2:39 remaining. The teams were battling for momentum in the late stages, as highlight reel dunks were exchanged from the Huskies’ Ryker Wuttke and the Cascades’ Chris Jackson, but it was UFV that would come out on top as they secured the final three points of the game to seal it.
Top performers:
Second year forward Klim showed why he is earning a reputation as one of the best rim protectors in the league as he picked up a record setting 12 blocks for the Cascades. That tally stands alone as the new single game U SPORTS record, eclipsing the previous mark of 10 set in 2018.
Anderson notched 20 points in his final Canada West regular season matchup, while Dylan Kinley added 19 points, nine rebounds, five steals and five assists on the night for UFV.
Alexander Dewar led all scorers with 26 points in the game for the Huskies. Tyrese Potoma picked up 17, while Maxwell Amoafo concluded his Canada West career with seven rebounds and six rebounds.
Quotable:
Cascades forward Matthias Klim
“I’ve always taken pride in my defence, and I had to get it done for Courtney [Anderson]. Being able to help the team in that way and push ourselves to a victory just feels amazing. I think if we play strong defence we can stick with any team in the conference, so this is just another step towards that.”
Cascades guard Courtney Anderson
“I know tonight was seniors night, but it was more about us getting the win, getting the job done tonight, and moving forward on to playoffs.”
“If we just lock in on defence we can stick with anyone as long as we continue to bring that intensity, continue to make the right plays and stay together as a team we are going to be alright. I feel pretty good moving on to playoffs next weekend, and I’m looking forward to the practices this week.”
Where they sit:
The Cascades will open their post season schedule with a contest against the Brandon Bobcats next Friday in Winnipeg at 3pm, with the winner of that matchup moving on to face the Winnipeg Wesmen the following afternoon.
Women’s Basketball: Huskies outlast Cascades in regular season finale
Abbotsford, BC – The UFV Cascades were forced to settle for a weekend split with the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked Saskatchewan Huskies after falling 73-62 on Saturday at the UFV Athletic Centre.
As it happened:
The Huskies shot out to a fantastic start in the first quarter. They took a 13-4 lead just four minutes into the opening frame. Consecutive three-pointers from Nikki Cabuco cut the Cascades deficit to just three in the second quarter, but the Huskies ended the half on an 8-0 run to take a 41-30 lead into the break.
Saskatchewan kept the pressure on in the third, scoring the first seven points of the quarter. Despite a pushback from UFV, the Huskies led by 17 at the start of the fourth, and they would see out the game from there.
Top performers:
For the second night in a row Maddy Gobeil led the Cascades in scoring. The third-year guard picked up 18 points. Julia Tuchscherer and Nikki Cabuco followed with 13 points and nine points respectively, and Natalie Rathler had a game-high 10 rebounds.
Carly Ahlstrom notched a game-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds to lead the Huskies. Gage Grassick also had a solid performance with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Maya Flindall added 15 points in the effort.
Quotable:
Cascades guard Nikki Cabuco
“We were almost too hyped on yesterday’s win, but we shouldn’t feel that because we belong. We should just play our game and the results will come to us.”
“It’s exciting, games like these. That’s the fun part about these last two weeks, all it does is build us up for playoffs and help us find some of the holes we need to fix in practice.”
Where they sit:
With the regular season concluded the Cascades now gear up for their first-round Canada West playoff matchup, where they will take on the UNBC Timberwolves next Friday in Edmonton. The winner of that game will move on to face the University of Alberta Pandas the following afternoon.
Women’s Volleyball: Attieh matches career-high in kills as Cascades pick up comeback victory
Winnipeg, MB – Down two sets to one, the UFV Cascades stormed back to beat Manitoba in five (25-22, 20-25, 15-25, 25-17, 15-6) on Saturday night at Investors Group Athletic Centre. Gabrielle Attieh picked up 22 kills on the night to match her career-high in the win.
As it happened:
UFV grabbed a 13-8 lead in the first, and after some back-and-forth play in the remainder of the set they held on to take the opener.
The Cascades jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second, but the Bisons battled back to flip the score with a 12-5 run. Manitoba held onto an 18-16 advantage before scoring seven of the next 11 points to seal the set win.
UFV was up 9-6 in the third, but a 13-6 run gave the Bisons a commanding lead, and they finished the frame with five straight points.
Natalie Lemoine-Sells and Attieh combined for ten kills, and UFV hit .400 in a fourth set win. On the Bisons side, Gray, Bentley and Surinx all had at least eight digs entering the fifth, but the Cascades were simply too clean, adding three service aces while pulling away at the midway point of the set.
The Cascades never trailed in the fifth, getting service aces from Lemoine-Sell and Elizabeth Baird along the way in a nine-point win.
Top performers:
Attieh led the way for UFV with 22 kills, eight digs and two aces, while setter Cailin Bitter notched 39 assists and 11 digs. Hometown product Lemoine-Sells added 11 kills and six blocks in the effort.
Raya Surinx paced the Bisons with 12 kills and 10 digs on the night, while Katreena Bentley posted 42 assists.
Quotable:
Cascades head coach Janelle Rozema
“I think it shows that we are the type of team that not only has skill and very talented players, and obviously a very standout player like Gabby [Attieh], but we also have a whole team that is willing to contribute and fight.”
“Tonight Natalie [Lemoine-Sells] was clutch at some key times. Yesterday she was pretty good, but she struggled at times and tonight was one of the better matches she’s had in our recent schedule.”
Where they sit:
With the win the Cascades improve to 16-6 on the year and keep pace with the Winnipeg Wesmen and UBC Thunderbirds in the race for a home playoff date. Meanwhile the Bisons drop to 13-9. On the season.
The Cascades conclude their regular season next weekend with a Friday and Saturday set against the Regina Cougars.
Men’s Volleyball: Cascades season comes to an end with loss to Bisons
Winnipeg, MB – The UFV Cascades men’s volleyball team fell in straight sets (25-22, 25-23, 25-17) to the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday to end their Canada West season.
The Cascades finish their second season in the Canada West Conference with a 4-20 record, while the Bisons improve to 9-13 on the season.
As it happened:
UFV led 22-17 in the first set, but Manitoba stormed back to score the next eight points, including two Spencer Grahame aces and three Ben Carleton kills, to seal the set win.
The Cascades grabbed a 20-19 lead in the second set after a Caleb Kastelein kill. However, three quick points from the Bisons gave them a lead they wouldn’t surrender, and they took the second 25-23.
The Bisons jumped out to a 15-10 lead in the third set. They extended that advantage to 21-14, before two consecutive aces from Nicholes Carter closed out the match.
Jonas Van Huizen led the Cascades with ten kills, while Eric Ogaranko had ten for Manitoba.
The Bisons service pressure gave the Cascades trouble all night as they tallied 10 aces.
“I think it’s unfortunate the way we finished off the rest of our season, but I think during the season we showed good a team we could be,” noted Cascades Libero Reece Wilson who has been filling in with assistant coach duties while he recovers from an injury.
“It’s small things that we have to figure out with our responsibilities on the court. We were in eight five-set matches this year, and won one of those. That isn’t going to cut it, but I think if we can clean up some of those small things we can walk away with a few more of those wins in the fifth set.”
