On the PacWest college sports scene, the Columbia Bible College volleyball programs turned in a series of terrific results at home last weekend against the Douglas College Royals.
• The Bearcats women, ranked No. 15 in the nation, swept the Royals, winning in three sets Friday and five sets Saturday to improve to 9-8 on the season and solidify their grip on fourth place in the PacWest. Rookie outside hitter Sadie Ball had a huge game Saturday, racking up 20 kills and 15 digs in the win.
• The men's games at Columbia Place represented a clash between two of Canada's top teams – the Royals are ranked No. 3 nationally, while the defending national champion Bearcats are No. 12.
CBC won Friday's opener in thrilling fashion, edging Douglas 18-16 in the fifth set. The Royals bounced back with a four-set win on Saturday to salvage a split. Will Quiring, with 20 kills Friday and 19 more Saturday, paced the attack for the Bearcats, who sit third in the PacWest at 11-7. The second-place Royals are 15-5.
• Over at the University of the Fraser Valley, the Cascades women's volleyball squad – ranked fourth in the nation – had a huge match-up against the Capilano Blues with second place in the PacWest on the line. UFV won in five sets Friday and in straight sets Saturday to improve to 16-4 and earn some breathing room over the Blues (12-6).
• The Cascades men (6-14) were swept by Capilano, falling in three sets Friday before going the distance in a five-set loss Saturday.
• On the basketball scene, the CBC hoopsters dropped a combined four games on the road on Vancouver Island.
The Bearcats men (1-10) lost 105-83 on Friday to the Vancouver Island University Mariners, the fifth-ranked team in the nation. On Saturday, they cracked the 100-point plateau, but the Camosun Chargers out-scored them 116-102.
The CBC women (0-11) fell 107-34 to VIU, and 93-40 to Camosun.
• This weekend, the CBC volleyball teams head to Cranbrook to face the College of the Rockies Avalanche, while the UFV v-ballers have a bye. The Bearcats basketball teams are at home, hosting the Langara Falcons on Friday and the Kwantlen Eagles on Saturday (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m. both nights).
VIU's Brandon Jones (left) gets Columbia Bible College guard Kevin Ford turned the wrong way during Friday's game in Nanaimo. (Greg Sakaki photo / Black Press)