By Nathan Hutton (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: February 25, 2015
Kierra Noot
A fifth-year middle, Noot spent her whole career at UFV after coming from Pacific Academy in Surrey.
Emily Carrol
A fifth-year transfer from UBC-O, Carrol spent the last two years of her career at UFV as a starter.
Sarah Russell
Russell is a fourth-year who redshirted one season after injuring her knee. Russell was a key contributor on the national championship winning team.
Katie Peacock
A player, coach, and fitness trainer, Peacock was an all-around stud for the Cascades during her time in multiple roles.
After their senior-night celebrations, head coach Dennis Bokenfohr had nothing but praise for his seniors.
“I’m just lucky to have them stick around, lucky that they choose to be here and privileged to coach them all these years,” he said.
The women’s senior night game wasn’t high stakes; they had already secured their playoff spot and were playing a team that had been knocked out of the playoffs. However, they were playing the CBC Bearcats and games against their crosstown rivals always mean more.
The Bearcats came into the game with a record of no wins and 23 losses, and were trying to finish a messy season on a high note. They trailed early into the first set 20-10 to the Cascades but came back and won the set 26-24. The Bearcats were also able to snatch the second set from the Cascades and hold a massive two-set lead over their rivals. The Cascades then pulled out a phenomenal comeback, forcing a fourth set and then a fifth set, and then thriving when down late in the fifth set. The Cascades pulled out four straight points to tie the game and then go back and forth with the Bearcats in front of a raucous crowd — the Cascades would pull out the incredible 18-16 win and win one of the best games of the year.
“It shows that there is no giving up on our team,” said Coach Bokenfohr about the win. “Even being down late in the fourth and fifth sets and finding a way to dig it out, it shows a lot about a team. It shows a lot of good fight.”
Josh Togeretz
Togeretz is a fifth-year standout with the Cascades who got the opportunity to play with his brothers at UFV.
Chris Schmitke
The left side / libero split his PacWest career between CBC and UFV and won a national championship with the bearcats in 2011.
Kurtis Stromdahl
After tearing his ACL, worked hard to get back onto the court and has been a leader on and off the court for the Cascades.
“This year all three [Togeretz, Schmitke, and Strohmdahl] have been good teammates, they’ve thrived in the different roles they have put in this season. They have all shown leadership this season,” said head coach Kyle Donen about his three graduating players. “I expect them all to be good next week. I hope that we will see them back as much as we can at a lot of these games next year.”
Unfortunately for the Cascades, they dropped both games to the Bearcats on senior weekend.
Both teams are in playoff action next weekend at Camosun College.
