Lauren Grey
Blues Crew, Communications

Both the Capilano Blues and the Camosun Chargers came into Saturday’s matchup on a 6 game losing streak, but it was the Chargers who broke the slump with a hard-fought victory, winning in 5 sets (28-26, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 12-15). 

The Blues jumped out to an early lead, claiming the first four points of the game and setting the tone. Despite a slow start to the new year, the Blues showed signs of improvement against the 4th-ranked Chargers, winning the first two sets for the first time this year.  

The crowd and bench were electric, and the Blues battled hard through the first two sets, taking a thrilling 28-26 nail-biter victory in the opening set and then following it up with a more controlled 25-19 win in the second. The Blues were riding high on momentum, but the third set brought some struggles as the Chargers edged their way back into the game, forcing the Blues into some tough rallies and winning the set 25-17. As expected, the fourth set was a back-and-forth battle, with the Chargers taking it 25-20. The final set saw the Chargers taking the deciding set 15-12. 

The five-set matchup was a thrilling back-and-forth affair, with Xavier Masztak delivering crucial kills to keep the game tight; he ended the night with 18 kills. Kingsley Ndu was on fire early, registering 6 kills in the first set alone and finished the game with 15 kills. 

The Blues now look to bounce back from this one into the all-important rematch tomorrow at 3 p.m. vs. the Chargers.