Vancouver Island University’s men’s volleyball team was able to set itself up for provincial championships.
The Mariners split their matches against the top-seeded Camosun Chargers on the weekend, as each team won on its home court.
VIU beat Camo 25-18, 28-30, 25-23, 25-21 on Friday night at the Vancouver Island University gym, then fell the next day in Victoria, 25-14, 26-24, 25-21.
Earning the win against a challenging opponent was timely, said M’s coach Abe Avender.
“You can never have enough confidence in this sport, because there’s so many momentum changes in it,” he said.
The victory also clinched third place in the standings going into provincials, which is a favourable seeding for the M’s, Avender said. He doesn’t mind the idea of having to play a quarterfinal match to get used to the gym this week at Abbotsford’s Columbia Bible College.
It will be a matter of peaking at the right time, he said.
“It’s funny. You spend six months coaching and playing and training and you end up doing it for one weekend and that’s where all the marbles are,” said Avender. “So to have your best volleyball coming near the end, hopefully that’s what you’re rolling out of here [to provincials] with.”
GAME ON … VIU plays the Capilano Blues on Thursday (Feb. 25) to start provincials.
