The University of the Fraser Valley women's volleyball team saw its upset bid fall short on Friday evening, as the Vancouver Island University Mariners fended them off in the PACWEST semifinals on Friday night in New Westminster.
The two-time reigning CCAA national champion Mariners prevailed 25-13, 25-16 and 25-13, and move on to face the Camosun Chargers for the conference title. The Cascades, meanwhile, will play the Capilano Blues for the bronze medal (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., Douglas College,
pacwestbc.tv).
"I was telling the girls this is honestly the weirdest volleyball match I've ever been a part of," UFV head coach
Janelle Rozema analyzed afterward. "I don't feel like the score reflected our level of play.
"I think that was the best volleyball we've played all year. It's disappointing when you don't get the outcome, but I think that our athletes are showing some maturity by taking the value in that and the experience of the level of play that we're capable of."
The Cascades grabbed a 3-1 lead in the first set, but the Mariners rattled off seven of the next 11 points to take a 10-5 advantage. VIU would not let up from there, extending their lead to 19-13, and Amanda Dobbyn would close out the set on a six-point service run.
The Mariners opened up a 5-2 lead in the second, but a massive block by UFV's
Sedona Arabsky helped to turn the momentum. The Cascades scored four of the next five points to level the score 6-6, capped off by an Arabsky kill. VIU re-established their advantage, going up 11-7 following an ace by Danielle Groenendijk and a kill by Karoline Tormena. The Mariners knocked down 10 of the next 16 points to stretch their lead to 21-13, and they went on take it 25-16.
VIU continued their hot play in the third as they scored the opening six points of the set, recording three blocks in that stretch. The Mariners maintained control from there, going up 20-9 before eventually finishing it off 25-13 on another Tormena kill.
Chelsea Kidd was named the Cascades' player of the game, notching 10 kills and eight digs. Arabsky picked up seven kills of her own, while
Amanda Matsui and
Kristen McBride had a team-high 10 digs apiece.
Tormena paced the Mariners with 14 kills on the night, while VIU player of the game Groenendijk posted 13 kills of her own. Shelby Dorman-Banks also had a big night, posting game-highs in set assists (33), digs (12), and aces (three).
"We went up against the best team in the country, and I think we gave them the hardest match that they had all year," Rozema said. "I think we're proud of that and our spirits are high, so we're going to carry those good vibes into tomorrow's match."
