MVB: Cascades victorious in home opener, beat Bearcats in straight sets

The University of the Fraser Valley men's volleyball team capped a perfect opening weekend with another straight-sets triumph over the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. 

On the heels of a three-set win on Friday at Columbia Place, the Cascades blanked the Bearcats again in their home opener on Saturday at the Envision Athletic Centre.

UFV fifth-year outside hitter Adam Chaplin said the Cascades drew energy from playing in front of their home fans.

"We usually have a good crowd for the home opener, and it's nice to see," he said. "It's great to have a huge crowd, and we're really thankful for the amount of people that do come out.

"Two wins is a good way to start our season."

Cascades head coach Kyle Donen felt that Saturday's performance represented a step forward for his squad, relative to the night before. In particular, he was heartened to see right side Joel Kleingeltink – a PACWEST second team all-star last season – step up his game at the service line.

"He didn't make a serve last night," Donen related with a chuckle. "So to make a few tonight and to be rewarded for some of his swings was good to see. All in all, it was a good team effort tonight.

"We served significantly better tonight, so that made a huge difference for us. It allowed us to get the separation that we wanted to earn last night – it just didn't happen that way. Overall, it was a much smoother game for us in all aspects. A couple different guys got in there late in the game and were able to contribute the way we wanted them to. We're feeling good about starting 2-0, and looking forward to a tough test next weekend against Douglas."

Dan Kinvig,  UFV Communications Coordinator