Next week, the stakes go up in the men’s volleyball rivalry between Columbia Bible College and the University of the Fraser Valley.
The two Abbotsford programs clash in the first round of the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association (BCCAA) provincial championships, which run Feb. 24-26 at UBC-Okanagan in Kelowna.
The CBC Bearcats, seeded third in B.C. and ranked No. 9 nationally, had a shot at a first-round bye, but they dropped an epic five-set match (20-25, 29-27, 18-25, 29-27, 17-15) on the road against the Douglas Royals in Saturday’s regular season finale.
“I thought both teams played really well,” CBC head coach Rocky Olfert said. “We played well up to 24 (points), and after that, we didn’t execute like we needed to.”
That loss sets up a first-round playoff date between the Bearcats (9-5) and the sixth-seeded Cascades (5-9).
“It’s always a fun rivalry,” Olfert noted. “We’re going to be in for a really tough match, and we’d better come ready to play. They always seem to play well in the playoffs.”
On the women’s side, the fourth-place Cascades (8-6) open the playoffs against the Camosun Chargers (6-8), while the sixth-seeded Bearcats (3-11) take on the Capilano Blues (10-4).
