The Cascades men’s volleyball team was on the courts in preseason action against Volleyball Canada’s U21 squad. The Cascades won a hard fought five set match against the younger Team Canada. The Cascades were led by some service mastery as UFV’s own Nimo Benne recorded a game-high seven service aces in the victory.Â
The U21 national squad was in the Lower Mainland from Sept. 22–28 hosting a training camp at the Langley Events Centre. The camp also served as selection and development for athletes attending the U21 NORCECA Men’s Pan American Cup in Cuba held Oct. 1–9. Canada finished third in the competition after beating Cuba in a thrilling bronze medal game. The U.S. won gold and Mexico took silver.
The volleyball Canada U21 program is designed to continue the development of aspiring volleyball players as they look towards higher levels of international competition. The U21 program is a main support for the invitation-only Team Canada Senior Men’s National squad. The program looks to make deeper connections and further educate selected athletes as they look towards the future, and participation in national tours playing Canadian universities is an integral part of the selection process.
The U21 tour also helped prepare the Cascade men’s volleyball team for the competitiveness of the coming 2022 Canada West season. The Cascades’ finished their exhibition season with mixed results, three wins and three losses, and now turn their focus to the regular season opener this weekend, Oct. 21–22, at the UBC Thunderbirds. The Cascades home opener is the following weekend, Oct. 28–29, at the UFV Athletic Centre against the Trinity Western Spartans.
In a post-COVID shutdown return to conference-wide play, the Cascades will compete in twenty-four games this season. The twelve home and twelve away games will be split evenly between the Fall and Winter semesters. Canada West playoffs are scheduled to start in late February 2023 before feeding in the U Sports national championships in mid-March 2023. With a full schedule this season, the Cascades look to build on last year’s wild card entry into the playoffs.
A busy offseason saw the men’s volleyball program sign some experienced veterans to bolster their ranks as they look towards the 2022–23 season. An interesting signing has ex-WHL and Acadia University hockey player Max Paddock joining the Cascades. Paddock’s previous volleyball experience includes a AAA varsity high school provincial championship before he left to play competitive hockey. Overall, the men’s volleyball program looks to establish itself as a perennial playoff contender in the highly competitive Canada West league.
The Canada West men’s volleyball conference has been dominated by local rival, the Trinity Western Spartans, who won their second straight championship in 2021-22, and the Cascades hope to put an early dent in the Spartans hunt for a three-peat at the home opener at the end of October. Attend live Cascade action at the UFV Athletics Centre or follow the Cascades online at gocascades.ca.
Steve is a third-year BFA creative writing/visual arts student who’s been a contributing writer, staff writer and now an editor at The Cascade. He's always found stories and adventures but now has the joy of capturing and reporting them.