The Mariners’ men’s volleyball team has opened the 2014-2015 PacWest season on a roll. The Mariners split a weekend series against the College of the Rockies Avalanche November 14 and 15 in Cranbrook to move their record to 6-2 on the season.
The Mariners dropped their first match of the weekend series against the Avalanche in straight sets, losing 25-23, 25-19, 25-21 on Friday, November 14. VIU responded well the next day as they picked up the straight set victory in the second game between the two teams.
The loss against the Avalanche snapped a four-game winning streak for the Mariners, who hadn’t lost a match since October 18 against the Camosun Chargers. The impressive winning streak made the Mariners the fifth-ranked volleyball team in the country.
The Mariners weren’t in action November 7 and 8, but two weeks earlier they successfully defended their home court against the visiting Fraser Valley University Cascades. The Mariners picked up victories in both games played between the two teams.
First, VIU earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory on Friday, October 31. The Mariners won the game’s first two sets 25-14 and 25-23. The Cascades won the next two sets, forcing a fifth and deciding set. In the final set the Mariners were victorious, picking up the dramatic 16-14 victory.
The two teams met again the next day. VIU once again won the first two sets of the match, 25-19 and 27-25. This time the Cascades couldn’t mount a comeback, as the Mariners picked up the third set 25-21, capturing the 3-0 victory.
The Mariners’ 6-2 record puts them in second place in the standings, two points behind first place Douglas Royals, who are 7-1 on the season.
The Mariners’ next home games are Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22, against the Douglas College Royals. The Friday game starts at 8 pm, and the match Saturday starts at 3 pm.
For more information on the Mariners, visit mariners.viu.ca.
