Camosun College’s men and women volleyball team, the Camosun Chargers, lost the gold medal in the PACWEST Provincial Championships on Saturday, Feb. 22, placing both teams in the second ranking for their division.

The men’s team lost to the Capilano Blues 3–2 during match six, the Gold Medal Match. The women’s team lost to the Vancouver Island University Mariners 3–1.

Huge 3rd set sees the Blues take it 31-29 on the back of some gritty play but still trail the @CamosunChargers 2-1. The crowd here in #NewWest are calling for a 5 set epic! pic.twitter.com/8fY2Gq7epr

— Capilano University Blues (@CapilanoBlues) February 23, 2020

Charles Parkinson, head coach for the men’s team plans to use the loss at the championships to train and work on technical practices with the team. The men’s team has played in the championships for the last six consecutive years, and won the gold medal in four of those tournaments.

“It kind of hurts right now, but if you look at the larger context, guys in our program are upset if we are not winning the championship because of the history that we have, so that speaks to what we are doing and the kind if players that we recruit,” Parkinson said. The team is set to start their new season next week.

ALSO READ: Camosun Chargers finish fourth at volleyball nationals

While it looks to be the end until next season for the men’s volleyball team, the women’s season is still underway. By finishing second in their division, the team will head to Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Volleyball National Championship in Quebec. The Camosun women’s team has played in the provincial championships finals two years previously.

“Qualifying for nationals is difficult in our conference because it has typically produced the top teams in the country. This is a good step for the program and we’re looking forward to competing on the national stage,” said Brent Hall, head coach for the Camosun Chargers women’s volleyball team.

ALSO READ: Clean sweep for Camosun’s volleyball teams in quadruple-header weekend

Hall plans for the women’s team to focus on improving their offense play and planning around specific opponents in the weeks leading up to nationals.

“The team has been working hard since August to meet those expectations. I think we’re playing some great volleyball right now and that we have a good shot at medaling [sic] nationally,” Hall said.

sarah.schuchard@saanichnews.com

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