Savannah Mackay
Blues Crew, Communications

The Capilano Blues men’s volleyball team battled through five sets Saturday night but ultimately fell 3–2 (25–21, 23–25, 25–18, 17–25, 12–15) to the College of the Rockies (COTR) Avalanche in a tightly contested regular-season matchup.

The Blues opened strong, with Shub Wander and Kyle Hinchey setting the tone offensively. Back-to-back kills from Reese Nowotny and steady swings from Hinchey pushed the Blues ahead to seal the opening set 25–21.

The second set saw a shift in momentum. Despite strong serving from Wander and big blocks from Nowotny, COTR capitalized on errors in a tight frame to gain the lead. Luke Tiegen—who finished with a team-high 17 kills—along with Hinchey, kept the offense rolling, but the Avalanche edged out the set 25–23.

The Blues responded with authority in the third. Tiegen took over offensively, delivering multiple kills and adding an ace during a dominant mid-set run. Quentin Middleton and Nowotny contributed key blocks, while Hinchey added both a block and a kill to extend the lead. Wander closed out the set 25–18 with a powerful swing to put the Blues back in front two sets to one.

The fourth proved challenging, with COTR applying constant pressure. Kills from Hinchey and Tiegen kept Capilano within reach, and Nowotny added another timely block, but the Avalanche forced a deciding fifth set with a 25–17 win.

In the final set, COTR jumped out to an early lead. Crucial points from Tiegen and Wander kept the score close late, but the Avalanche narrowly claimed the fifth 15–12 to take the match and the weekend series.

The loss sets up a high-stakes rematch, as the Blues are now scheduled to face this same Avalanche squad in the opening round of the 2026 PACWEST Provincial Volleyball Championship. Game time is 8:00 PM at Columbia Plaza on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, hosted by Columbia Bible College.

Full details can be found on the championship website: https://pacwestbc.prestosports.com/championships/volleyball_2025-26/index.