The UFV Cascades women’s volleyball team knocked off one of the top teams in the country on Saturday.
Coming off a four-set loss (25-15, 9-25, 20-25, 12-25) to the VIU Mariners on Friday, UFV returned to the courts in Nanaimo and pulled off a five-set (24-26, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, 15-9) win over the number two-ranked Mariners.
Cascades head coach Mike Gilray said his team battled injuries to pull through with the big win.
“The depth of our team showed – we had four first-year players on the floor in the fifth game,” he said. “For those girls to come in and be able to compete was awesome.”
The game-clinching fifth set saw the Cascades jump out to a 5-0 lead off the heels of stellar serving from Nicole Blandford.
The win improves the Cascades to a record of seven wins and nine losses, and they are in fifth place in the Pacwest.
It was a different story for the men’s team, who dropped both games to the Mariners. The Cascades were swept on both days, losing 25-15, 25-21, 25-8 on Friday, and 25-19, 28-26, 25-20 on Saturday.
The pair of losses drops the Cascades to a record of eight wins and eight losses on the season, and they sit fourth in the Pacwest.
Both teams now head into a bye week, and they return to action Jan. 30 and 31 with home games against the College of the Rockies Avalanche.