SportsCascades volleyball split weekend against Avalanche

Cascades volleyball split weekend against Avalanche

This article was published on November 28, 2013 and may be out of date. To maintain our historical record, The Cascade does not update or remove outdated articles.
Reading time: 2 mins

By Nathan Hutton (Contributor) – Email

Print Edition: November 27, 2013

Jenna Evans reaches for a dig during weekend action against the Avalanche.
Jenna Evans reaches for a dig during weekend action against the Avalanche.

 

This weekend both the Cascades men’s and women’s volleyball teams hosted their final home games of the semester against the visiting College of the Rockies Avalanche.
This season has proven the disparity between the two UFV programs, with the men’s and women’s team going in opposite directions since the beginning of the season. The men have struggled, earning only five wins while registering seven losses, and have fallen to sixth place in the PACWEST standings (just ahead of the tumbling Avalanche). The women, on the other hand, have continued last season’s success. They have yet to lose a game and are looking as dominant as ever, easily living up to their number one national ranking.
Thursday night the women took to the court first. The Cascades proved their dominance, having little trouble dispatching the last place Avalanche in three straight sets 25-15, 25-19, and 25-16, led by the strong play of third year Krista Hogewoning. Hogewoning added to her already impressive numbers throughout the night (seventh in the league in digs, first in total offense, and second kills). Also impressive were UFV’s fourth-year pair of Kierra Noot and Emily Carroll, who are first and second in the league in blocks, respectively.
The second game of the weekend for the women’s squad was another easy win. The bench took over in the second and third sets, sweeping the night 25-10, 25-14, and 25-11. At one point in the second set the Cascades led 14-1 with their entire second unit on the floor.
For the men’s team the weekend was not as easy.
In their first game the men played some of their best volleyball of the season as they stayed with the struggling Avalanche and won three sets to one by scores of 25-22, 18-25, 25-21, and 25-20. Although the men have struggled at points this season, it has been the strong play (sixth in the league in blocks) and leadership of third-year MEI alumnus Connor Nickel that has helped them maintain a level head. In the second game of the weekend, the men struggled mightily, falling three sets to one (23-25, 21-25, 25-12, and 21-25).
Both squads travel to Nanaimo next weekend to face the VIU Mariners in what will likely be two extremely important games for both the men and women. The men will look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season and the women will look to defeat the number-seven-ranked national team and improve to 14-0.

Liam Neufeld cuts across the court; his team managed to split their series against College of the Rockies.
Liam Neufeld cuts across the court; his team managed to split their series against College of the Rockies.
Other articles
RELATED ARTICLES

Upcoming Events

About text goes here