The Rematch

#3 Douglas Royals vs #2 VIU Mariners – Friday February 21, 8:00pm | WATCH HERE

The VIU gymnasium will be rocking on Friday night, first at 6:00pm when the Mariners women’s team plays in a semi-final, followed by the second seeded men’s team meeting the third seeded Douglas Royals with a spot in the 2025 CCAA nationals on the line.

The PACWEST will receive two berths in the national championship in Manitoba this season, one a Conference champion, the other a wildcard spot.  The winner of this match advances to the Conference gold medal match, thus punching their ticket to the nationals as well.

During the regular season the Mariners and Royals met four times with the Mariners winning three of them but they were close.  These teams are very even and it should be a competitive semi-final.

Coming into the playoffs the Mariners (14-6) caught fire and have won 11 of their last 12 matches.  The only loss was a five-setter against the Royals.   During this win streak they have shown they can win in multiple ways including three-set sweeps, comeback wins, five setters and even flipping the table for a reverse sweep.  They are playing with a ton of confidence and will be on their home floor where they are 8-2 this season.

The Royals (11-9) enter the playoffs licking their lips at the thought of playing the Mariners.  Remember back to last year when the Mariners came back to beat the Royals in an exciting fifth set to win gold at Douglas.  Something the Royals have not forgotten, and they have a chance for some payback on Friday night.  Don’t forget the winner of this match automatically gets a berth into the CCAA nationals.

In the second half of the season, the Royals have been just as hot as the Mariners winning eight of their last 10 and are also playing with confidence, particularly on the road where they are 7-3, a better record then at home.

This match could come down to defence because on the offensive side, both teams can swing! The Mariners are quarterbacked by Owen Dyck who has the likes of Colby Soolsma and Rylan Van Kooten at his disposal.  The Royals meanwhile have the veteran and Conference’s Top Setter Elijah Kim running the offence with Marvin Tumusiime and Niko Robbles ready to do damage.

Don’t be surprised if this match goes the distance on Friday night and extra points are needed to determine a winner.

The PACWEST gold medal match is set for 8:00pm for the winner along with a ticket to Manitoba, while the loser plays for bronze at 3:00pm.