The University of the Fraser Valley men’s volleyball team defeated their crosstown rivals from Columbia Bible College on Thursday evening, guaranteeing themselves a PACWEST semifinal berth in the process.
On paper it looked like a mismatch – the favoured Cascades coming in with the No. 6 ranking in the CCAA national poll, and the Bearcats still in search of their first league win of the season.
Joel Kleingeltink hammered four aces for the Cascades on Thursday. (UFV Athletics file photo)
And though UFV (16-7) took care of business to lock up the PACWEST’s No. 2 seed and the first-round playoff bye that comes with it, CBC (0-23) challenged them in each of the three sets, all of which ultimately went the Cascades’ way by scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 26-24.
The two teams wrap up the conference schedule on Saturday at UFV’s Envision Athletic Centre (7 p.m. start, webcast at pacwestbc.tv). Cascades fifth-year standout Joel Kleingeltink will be honoured in a pregame Senior Night ceremony.
“I didn’t think we had our strongest game,” UFV head coach Kyle Donen said afterward. “Their crowd definitely posed a challenge for us in some ways, which was good. It was the right kind of match for us to have – to play in that atmosphere, preparing for what’s to come at provincials.
“We did some good things tonight, I just thought we could be more consistent for an entire set. Overall, we still found a way to get the win.”
Donen’s primary cause for concern was his team’s service-line showing – the Cascades managed to miss 14 serves, a large number for a three-set match.
Kleingeltink was the exception to that team trend, pounding four aces including one for the winning point in the third set. He added 14 kills. Other UFV standouts included libero Isaiah Dahl, who had 16 digs, and setter Adam Frederickson, who had a solid night at the controls of the offence.
Comments are closed.