The University of the Fraser Valley men's volleyball team concluded its home-court preseason tournament with a three-set loss to the MacEwan Griffins on Saturday evening.

The Cascades had shown their upside on Friday, pushing perennial powerhouse UBC to five sets, but they struggled vs. the Griffins, who prevailed by set scores of 25-15, 25-20 and 25-18 at the UFV Athletic Centre. 

"Tonight we worked on a few different lineup changes to give some people an opportunity," Cascades head coach Nathan Bennett noted afterward. "MacEwan played well. I think it was a good learning experience for us mentally, to understand that no matter who is on the other side in Canada West, every team is a threat, and we have to give our best effort every opportunity we can."

The Cascades, playing their third game in three days, rested standout left side Nimo Benne on Saturday. The match marked the squad's final preseason tune-up against a Canada West opponent, as they ready themselves for the opening weekend of conference play, Nov. 5-6 at UBC Okanagan. Home-opening weekend is Nov. 26-27 vs. the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.

"I want to thank MacEwan, Brandon and UBC for coming to our preseason tournament, and I'm looking forward to seeing them all again in the future," Bennett said. "We plan to make this a bi-annual event, and we're looking forward to seeing it grow."