by Sophie Isbister (Staff Writer)
Email: cascade.sports@ufv.ca
The UFV Cascades Women’s Volleyball team never sits down. Even when not on the court, the girls on the sideline stood up to support and cheer their teammates. And if the aim of the game is to out yell the competition, the Cascades were set to win from the get go. The November 26th match, against the Douglas College Ravens, was played at the Envision Athletic Centre to a crowd of families and a few other spectators. The girls worked hard and started strong: making it look easy, communicating well, and using team spirit.
The Cascades killed the first match, beating the Ravens 25-15, and maintaining a steady 10 point lead for most of the period. The game was fast and lively – true sports entertainment. During the second period the Ravens livened up a bit, and it looked like they were about to give the Cascades a tougher fight. Neck and neck at the beginning, the mood turned jubilant midway through the second period when the Cascades began to pull ahead. But the Ravens worked hard to close the gap, scoring a quick four points. It forced the Cascades to regroup in a time out and strategize, with the score for the second period at a nail-biting 23-21 for the home team. The Cascades prevailed after some solid coaching from Head Coach Dennis Bokenfohr to win the second round 25-22.
Spirits remained high after the second break and into the third period. As a team, the Cascades work best during long rallies, seamlessly backing each other up. The game wasn’t over yet, however, and at the beginning of period three, the tension was high, and the score was close. To move forward to the fourth period, the Ravens knew they had to win this one; they pushed hard to thwart the aggressive playing of the Cascades. However, UFV began to pull ahead once again, leaving Douglas College in the dust. The Cascades beat the Ravens 25-16 in the third, winning the game 3-0 overall.
Teamwork is the clear strength of the Cascades. There wasn’t a moment on the court when players weren’t shouting directions or making their positions known to their team mates. Having the support of their team mates standing on the sideline seemed key to their teamwork strategy, as opposed to the Ravens who sat in their seats when they weren’t playing.
However, this winning strategy didn’t seem to work at their November 27th home game. The Cascades lost to Capilano University the same way they beat the Ravens – three matches in a row. This brings their BCCAA season record to a respectable three wins and three losses as the team breaks for winter.
The entertaining athleticism displayed by the Cascades shows that varsity sports deserves the support of UFV students. Tenacious and ferociously competitive, women’s volleyball at UFV makes for a good time, especially when adorable Cascades’ mascot Sasq’ets makes an appearance bearing samples of delicious cereal.
