With horns blaring and green and white pom-poms shaking in the air, the Cascades’ women’s volleyball team (WVB) proved themselves without fear, recording their first win of the year. Swarms of visiting children from nearby schools filled the stands, the high-spirited energy of the gymnasium echoed with the sounds of kazoos and cheers. The Cascades dominated early, taking the first two sets with scores of 25-18 and 25-14, before a tighter third and final set with a score of 25-23, as the Cascades completed the sweep in straight sets.
The home crowd was on the edge of their seats as second year outside hitter Mandi Feist dominated the court with 11 kills. Feist’s confidence shone through post-match, where she shared her thoughts on their win. “We were really aggressive tonight and if we keep being aggressive, it’s going to take teams down. You can’t really defend being aggressive.” She also gushed over one of the match highlights. “I got the ace at the end at 24 [and] it was a crazy feeling. I don’t even know how that ball went over, but it made me so happy. The win at the end was an amazing feeling [too].”
The team’s victory was not without help from fourth year middle, Zoe Arca, who racked up five strong blocks and two aces. “We’ve been preparing really hard for this, for our season,” said Arca. “We’ve been working really hard on our systems, and I think it all paid off in this game.” When it comes to implementing their success and skills into future matches, Arca said, “We can accomplish what we put our mind to and the goals that we set for ourselves … we can accomplish anything.”
As of Oct. 30 the Cascades’ WVB team is first in Canada West with a 4-0 record in the season; their second place ranking in all of U Sports is the highest in program history.
~~MVB’s spirited yet frustrating debut~~
Although they dropped a four-set decision, the men’s volleyball team (MVB) proved themselves a worthy challenger for the previous year’s U Sports national champions, the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
The game was a nail-biter from start to finish, with the first two sets ending 25-20 and 25-21 in favour of the Golden Bears. The Cascades took the third set 25-19 to avoid being swept and forced a fourth, where the Golden Bears closed out the match 25-22.
On the Cascades’ performance, Jonas Van Huizen, a setter in his fourth year, said, “Going into it, we knew it was going to be a challenge for sure. It took us a while to really get going, and then once you’re down three or four points, it’s really hard to dig yourself out of that hole.” Van Huizen and Nimo Benne dominated the court with a combined 22 kills — 11 each. The pair were able to find pockets on the floor and execute fierce strikes that left Alberta unable to react. Roan McCarthy and Ryan Hampe weren’t far behind with the former having nine kills and the latter six; not to mention McCarthy’s killer serves throughout the match.
UFV didn’t go down without a fight; several impressive rallies proved they were still in it. The team woke up in the second set, seeming to find their groove. Unfortunately, it was too late.
Van Huizen lamented his team’s slow start, stating, “The first two sets, we did not come out with a sense of urgency and it showed on the score … definitely a game we want to take back. We showed in the last two sets that if we just come out with a little bit more fire, a little bit more urgency, and a will to win a little bit more; we can find ourselves on the other side of it.”
Van Huizen recounted a pivotal play from the game where a misplay led to a successful block, demonstrating the unpredictability of the match. “I messed up the dig a little bit but my brother Silas [Van Huizen] lunged for it, [and then] Nimo somehow, with his back to the net, turned and knocked it over. We got the block. It was pretty sweet.”
With the season just kicking off, the MVB team’s record is 0-4 as of Oct. 30, and they currently hold 11th place in the Canada West MVB standings.
Be sure to catch the Cascades on Nov. 15 and 16 when both teams return to the UFV Athletic Centre to stand off against the visiting Thompson Rivers Wolfpack!
Veronica is a Staff Writer at The Cascade. She loves to travel and explore new places, no matter how big or small. She is in her second year at UFV, pursuing the study of Creative
Writing.
