Mariners Host Blues For Spike Night

The VIU Mariners host the Capilano Blues tonight in their home opener for PACWEST Spike Night.

Coming into this weekend the Mariners are undefeated winning their first four matches while the Blues are at .500 after a split last week with COTR.

Offensively the Mariners have been led by Mikayla Wagner with 50 kills and Danielle Groenendijk’s 41. Andrea Cankovic has chipped in with five service aces.

On the defensive side Kelsey Hutt has an impressive 69 digs in just 15 sets played and Amanda Dobbyn has 10 blocks.

"This weekend will be a tough match,” says Mariners head coach Shane Hyde. “Capilano is well coached and have some very skilled outside hitters. Tyneille Neufeld is one of my favourite PACWEST opponents. She is great at all areas of the game. We are winning but not playing crisp volleyball. I feel like we are ready to put it all together and start playing a more consistent game. We have had a great week of practice and we should be ready."

Speaking of Neufeld, she has led the Blues offence with 70 kills and 81 total offensive points. Emma Schill and Isabela Lima have also been solid with 42 kills apiece.

On the defensive side Tracy Ewashkiw has collected 78 digs and Schill and Lima have shown the ability to play both sides with 44 and 47 digs respectively.

It’s a long trip for the Blues and head coach Cal Wohlford says, “We are looking forward to heading over to the island for our match this weekend against VIU. It will definitely be a good battle to watch. VIU is strong at home and it’s always a tough atmosphere to go into but after a strong week of practice, the girls are ready to play. It’s still early in the season and we are still establishing our defense and offensive systems, however I feel the team is adapting well together. Our focus for the game will definitely be controlling our side of the net, minimizing errors and winning the small offensive battles. “

The Mariners and Blues will no doubt play in front of an energetic crowd starting at 6:00pm.