Missing their most prolific offensive threat due to injury, the University of the Fraser Valley men's volleyball team showed some resilience in a tough road match-up, but the UBC Thunderbirds' tough serving was ultimately overwhelming.
The T-Birds, ranked No. 8 in the nation, earned a three-set triumph
for the second straight night at War Memorial Gym, prevailing by scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-13 on Saturday evening.
"With Nimo being out today, I thought the guys did a pretty good job of finding solutions when we didn't have our get-out-of-jail-free card," Cascades head coach
Nathan Bennett said, alluding to sophomore left side
Nimo Benne, the team's top scorer, who was sidelined Saturday.
"We started to think a little bit more. A lot of growing happened today, but at the end of the day, we still have a lot of growing to do."
Indeed, while the Cascades showed spirit on Saturday, particularly in the second set, Matt Neaves and the T-Birds were just too much from the service line. Neaves cranked a career-high nine aces, breaking a Thunderbirds record and tying for second all-time in a single match in Canada West history.
"Their service pressure is phenomenal, and it's something we have to learn how to receive," Bennett noted. "That's really it. Our serve-pass game needs to improve, and at the end of the day, just understanding tactics and how to change things throughout the match."
The hosts were clicking from the service line and on the attack in the first set – they hit .600 as a team, and took it 25-17.
The Cascades' brightest moments came in the second set. Trailing 15-9, they rallied to level matters at 15-15, with
Eduardo Ferreira serving for five straight points capped by an ace. But a net violation and a service error helped UBC regain a 20-17 advantage, and they were able to finish it off.
Neaves dominated the third set, blasting five aces to give his team a 14-3 edge, and they cruised from there.
Caleb Kastelein led the Cascades (0-4) with nine kills,
Jonas Van Huizen had three kills and 10 assists with two aces and three digs, and
Ryan Adams had four kills.
Neaves added nine kills, five digs, and three block assists for UBC (2-0), while Michael Dowhaniuk racked up a team-high 10 kills with two aces and two digs.
The Cascades now head into a bye week before returning to action with their long-awaited Canada West home openers, Nov. 26-27 vs. Thompson Rivers.
- with files from UBC Athletics
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