After a litany of close calls this season, the University of the Fraser Valley men's volleyball team finally broke through and tasted victory.
The Cascades earned their first-ever Canada West conference win in their 15th attempt, outlasting the UBC Okanagan Heat in a five-set thriller (26-24, 23-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-10) at the UFV Athletic Centre on Sunday evening.
Head coach
Nathan Bennett's squad had been on the verge so many times this season – they'd played four five-set matches prior to Sunday, only to be met with heartbreak each time.
This time it was different, and the Cascades carved out their long-awaited slice of history.
"Having been in this situation a few times already, I think the moment was finally not too big for us," Bennett said afterward. "We were ready to go. It was nice to see, and the crowd support we got was phenomenal – it really gave energy to our team.
"It's been a grind of a year, honestly, looking at the standings after every weekend and seeing that goose egg beside our name. I just know that we're a better team than what the results have been showing, and I'm really, really pleased for the guys. They deserve this, and it sets the table for what's to come here in the future."
The Cascades (1-14) and Heat (6-7) clash again on Monday afternoon (1 p.m., UFV Athletic Centre) in the regular-season finale for the UFV squad.
The result moved the Cascades just ahead of the MacEwan Griffins (1-15) in the race for the last Canada West wildcard playoff berth.
The hosts started the match strong, building an 8-5 lead in the first set, but the Heat quickly drew even and the two teams traded points the rest of the way.
Nimo Benne was red-hot for the hosts, hammering seven kills and two service aces in the set – his kill off a UBCO overpass gave UFV a 25-24 lead, and
Eduardo Ferreira finished it off with a clutch ace.Â
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The second set played out in much the same fashion, as the teams were within two points for much of it. The Heat grabbed a 16-14 lead at the technical timeout, but the Cascades responded with three straight points, and they two teams went back and forth to inside of 20 points. UFV struggled with errors down the stretch, though, paving the way for a 25-23 Heat win. Maxwell Heppell came up big for UBCO, racking up eight kills in the set.
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The Heat got rolling in the third, grabbing a 16-10 lead at the technical timeout after a Cameron Vanderveen ace. Benne single-handedly got the Cascades back into it – he notched a block, a kill, an ace and another kill consecutively to cut the deficit to 17-15 and force a UBCO timeout. The Cascades were able to twice get within a point, at 20-19 and 24-23, but Noah Carlson came through with a kill from the right side to end it 25-23 for the visitors.
Back-to-back aces from
Jonas Van Huizen gave the Cascades an 11-10 lead in the fourth, but it was UBCO taking a 16-15 lead at the technical timeout. Van Huizen took over at the service line once again, helping his team surge ahead 23-19. A resounding kill from
Noah Bouius would give the Cascades a 25-20 win, extending the match and sending the home fans into hysterics.
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UFV would not be denied in the fifth – they raced out to a 6-1 lead highlighted by a pair of Bouius kills, and they led 8-4 at the technical timeout. The Heat were able to get back to within 13-10, prompting a timeout from Bennett. A UBCO service error created a UFV match point, and Benne converted it with an ace, setting off a celebration.Â
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Benne finished with a game-high 20 kills on 51 swings and added six service aces and six block assists. He racked up 29 points in total, and added a team-best 13 digs for good measure.
"He attacked 51 balls – that's a lot for anyone," Bennett marveled afterward. "But good for that guy – he was dialed. Nimo's not a real rah-rah personality, but he really dialed in his job and went after them."
Eduardo Ferreira also had a big game for the Cascades, notching 14 kills, and
Caleb Kastelein had nine. Rookie setter Van Huizen also sparkled, with 48 assists, 11 digs and three aces.
Carlson (18 kills) and Heppell (14) led the way for the Heat, and Zach van Geel finished with 39 assists.Â
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The Cascades honoured graduating players
Justin Peleshytyk and
Graham Walkey in a pregame ceremony, and Bennett noted how fitting it was for the team's first win to coincide with that occasion.
"Those two have done so much for our program," he said. "To witness the first win in UFV Cascades' U SPORTS history, on our home court, I think it was something special for them to be involved with. And also for us – they've been such instrumental pieces of the puzzle for us."
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