The UFV volleyball squads were in action at home vs. the Capilano Blues on the weekend, and the two teams had vastly different experiences.
The Cascades women and the Blues engaged in fantastic five-set battles both nights, with UFV prevailing on Friday and Capilano salvaging a weekend split on Saturday.
The men, meanwhile, made relatively short work of the Blues, winning in three sets in the opener and completing the sweep in four sets the next night.
The Cascades volleyballers play at home this coming weekend, hosting the Douglas Royals on Friday and Saturday (women 6 pm, men 8 pm both nights).
The UFV women, who were missing a pair of starters in left side Michelle Zygmunt (finger) and setter Reena Randhawa (illness) found themselves down two sets to one both nights against the Blues, but on both occasions they rallied to force a fifth set.
On Friday, they raced out to a 5-0 lead and won 15-7 to seal the victory. Amy Davidson racked up 21 digs, and Nicole Blandford sparked the fifth-set blowout with some fantastic serving.
Saturday’s game looked to be more of the same, as UFV went up 7-1 in the fifth set. But this time, Capilano had an answer – they clawed their way back to tie it up 12-12, then scored three of the last four points to steal the win.
“Whenever we play them, they seem to be long matches, tough matches,” Cascades head coach Dennis Bokenfohr said, reflecting on back-to-back five-set thrillers vs. Cap. “Tonight, it was a couple good serves by them late in sets, and that was the difference between winning and losing.”
The UV men, meanwhile, got a big night from outside hitter Kurtis Stromdahl (14 kills) on Friday, while Adam Chaplin and Robert Koenig notched eight kills apiece.
Stromdahl went down with an apparent ankle injury in the second set on Saturday, and the Blues ended up winning it 32-30. But Josh Togeretz came off the bench to pound nine kills in just over two sets of action, and the Cascades won in four.
Chaplin’s 16 kills were a team-high, Joel Kleingeltink had eight kills, four blocks and two aces, and Robert Koenig notched seven kills and six blocks.
For more information, contact Dan Kinvig at dan.kinvig@ufv.ca
11/14/2014