A decrease in drama was a positive development for the University of the Fraser Valley women’s volleyball team on Saturday evening.
The night before, in their PacWest regular season opener, the Cascades had outlasted the Columbia Bible College Bearcats in a wild five-set marathon at UFV’s Envision Athletic Centre.
On Saturday, the two teams headed across town to Columbia Place for the second half of the home-and-home series, and this time UFV dispatched their local rivals in three straight sets (26-24, 25-17, 28-26).
Though two of the sets were hotly contested and required more than 25 points to close out, Cascades head coach Dennis Bokenfohr was pleased with his team’s ability to finish strong.
“It was a bit of a calming of the nerves – that probably had a lot to do with it,” Bokenfohr analyzed.
“The finish was there in all three sets, and that’s a neat trait to see develop. You don’t know what you’ve got until they get the opportunity. Everyone got on the court, and we had a balanced attack.”
The Cascades (2-0) got a strong outing from libero Nicole Blandford, who registered 11 digs, and middle Emily Carroll was a pivotal presence.
“She was a force in the middle, and she was pretty much unstoppable,” Bokenfohr said of White Rock native Carroll. “I don’t think she was blocked all weekend.”
The Cascades volleyball teams are at home next weekend, hosting the College of the Rockies Avalanche on Saturday (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.) and Sunday (women 11 a.m., men 1 p.m.).
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