The VIU Mariners’ women’s volleyball team ended the regular season with a loss as the team dropped their final game of the regular season against the Camosun Chargers on Saturday, February 21.
The two teams split the first four sets with the Chargers taking the first set 25-21 and the third set 25-19. The Mariners captured the second set 25-16 and forced a fifth set with a 25-21 victory in the fourth. But, ultimately, the Chargers came out victorious, dominating the final set 15-4.
The loss to Camosun snapped the Mariners’ eight-game winning streak. VIU hadn’t lost a match since January 23.
The Mariners and Chargers also faced off in the last home game for VIU on Thursday, February 19. The Mariners opened the match by taking the first set 25-18. VIU then took a quick stranglehold on the match by picking up a 25-21 victory in the second set. A tightly contested third set went to a tie-breaker before the Chargers kept the match alive with a dramatic 28-26 victory. But, in the end, the Mariners came out strong, dominating the set and sending the fans home happy with a 25-13 victory in the fourth set. The loss was just the third for the Chargers all season.
The Mariners finished the PacWest regular season with a record of 16-8, good for 32 points and third place in the PacWest standings. The Mariners finished two points behind the Capilano Blues for second place in the standings.
Next up for the Mariners is the Provincial Championships, which will be held February 26-28 in Victoria. At the Provincials, the Mariners will take on the sixth place Douglas Royals in the quarter finals. Douglas finished the season with a record of 6-18 on the season. The Mariners will come into the Provincials full of confidence as the team won 12 of their last 14 games going into the tournament.
