It was a bit of a roller-coaster ride, but the University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team finished strong to earn a victory on opening night.
Taking on the Columbia Bible College Bearcats at the Envision Athletic Centre in the first game of the PacWest regular season for both teams, the Cascades raced out to an early advantage, winning the first two sets.
But the Bearcats dug deep and battled back to take the next two, forcing a fifth and deciding set.
It was all UFV from that point, though – they scored the first four points of the frame, then got a dominant service run from Michelle Zygmunt to stretch the lead to 9-2 and cruised to a 15-8 win.
“We were wondering what team would show up,” Cascades head coach Dennis Bokenfohr said, reflecting on his mindset going into the fifth set. “We kind of had ups and downs all game long, so it was just fun to watch them go out there and see who wanted to show up and play. Michelle had a heck of a serving run to start the set, and we kind of coasted from there.”
The Cascades’ victory (26-24, 25-13, 22-25, 27-29, 15-8) was the first leg of a home-and-home set between the Abbotsford crosstown rivals. The scene shifts to CBC on Saturday, with the women playing at 6 p.m. followed by the men at 8 p.m.
“It definitely had its ups and downs,” Zygmunt said. “I think we have a lot to work on as a team, but we also saw that we can push through, especially in the fifth set, and finish.”
– photos courtesy Tree Frog Imaging
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