One night after suffering an upset loss to the Douglas Royals, the University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team bounced back in emphatic fashion.
The Cascades blitzed the Royals in three sets on Saturday evening at the Student Activity Centre North Gym, boosting their record to 7-3 in PacWest regular season play. The Royals fell to 3-5.
The hosts proved their mental fortitude in the first set. After trailing 9-4 early and 24-22 late, they reeled off the last four points to claim a 26-24 win that set the tone for the rest of the match.
Reena Randhawa
“We’re learning how to win, learning how to play together, learning how to support each other,” said Cascades head coach Dennis Bokenfohr, whose team is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation. “I believe that will pay off in the long run. It wasn’t about panicking, it was more about just continuing to support each other and fight for each ball.
“I felt a bit like an observer tonight. They knew what they had to do, and it was just interesting to watch and see if they could play that game – if they could support each other consistently. When adversity presented itself, were they going stay together or get after each other? It was fun watching it, that’s for sure.”
The Cascades got 12 kills from Michelle Zygmunt in the victory, while fellow left side Rachel Funk accounted for 10 points and tied Amy Davidson for team-high honours with 12 digs. Setter Reena Randhawa, in addition to running the offence effectively, chipped in with three aces.
“It definitely means a lot to us,” UFV middle Mandelyn Erikson said, reflecting on the bounce-back effort after Friday’s four-set loss to Douglas. “We came together as a team – we all strived towards a common goal, and it ended up working out in our favour. We had fun, that was the biggest thing for us, I think.
“When we have fun we talk to each other and communicate, and it makes the little things easy.”
The Cascades volleyball teams are off next weekend, and return to action at home Nov. 28-29 vs. the Camosun Chargers.
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