The second half of the PACWEST volleyball season opens this weekend with an important match up when the UFV Cascades host the Douglas Royals with just two points separating them in the standings.
Back in early November these two schools split the weekend each recording a four set victory on the Douglas College campus.
The Cascades’ (6-6) offence has been solid with 10.1 kills each set and a hitting percentage of .228. The duo of Nick Bruce and Ben Friesen has led the attack with a combined 248 kills and 283 offensive points. Against the Royals in November Bruce led the way with 26 kills while middle Dayton Pagliericci collected 17.
They tried to keep sharp playing at the Royals tournament during the holiday break and faced some stiff competition. Prior to that the Cascades split their weekend match with the top ranked VIU Mariners and won four of their last five matches heading into the break.
Friday night is the first of six in a row on the road for the Cascades. “We’ve got to get comfortable on the road fast,” says head coach Kyle Donen. “We played a couple games over the break that were on the road and those were good to shake some of the rust off heading into the new year. It’s a little bit of different mindset going into road games. You’ve got to recognize that you’ve got to generate your own energy on the floor and you won’t get the same energy you’re used to getting from your home crowd.”
The Royals (5-7) on the other hand limped into the semester break with three straight losses but are still just two points out of third place.
During the break they worked on a number of different things hosting and having success against three very difficult opponents. “We are looking forward to returning to PACWEST play this week versus UFV,” says head coach Jay Tremonti. “We had a successful Christmas break with exhibition wins versus Limoilou (#1), SAIT (#3) and a strong Briarcrest squad. I’m confident our group is ready to start regular season play this weekend and make the second half “sprint” to the PACWEST playoffs.”
The Royals will rely on their top offensive players this weekend as they did the last time they faced the Cascades in November. Reid Marriott collected 23 kills and Justin Faester had 18 in the weekend split.
So far this season the Royals have been good at home with a 3-3 record. They will play their first four matches this semester on their home floor.
The Cascades visit the Royals on Friday night at 8:00pm and again on Saturday at 7:00pm. WATCH HERE