The CapU Blues women's volleyball team (15-9) finished off the regular season on a six-game win streak to secure a first-round playoff bye in this week's PACWEST Provincial Championships (Feb. 25-27th) in Abbotsford.
On Thursday night, the Blues visited the fourth-place Douglas College Royals in New Westminster and came away with a 3-1 win behind an incredible performance by fourth-year hitter, Kira Sutcliffe who tallied 22 kills, 4 aces and 4 blocks in the victory. Head coach Cal Wohlford credited the victory to his team's maturity and experience. "Having some fourth and fifth-year experience helped in the long run of the match. Douglas came out fired up in the first set and kind of took us off guard, but we were able to get it back and play our game to win three straight."
In their last home game of the season, the Blues hosted the Royals on Friday night at the Sportsplex. With a first-round playoff bye on the line, the Blues were able to complete the sweep with another 3-1 victory over the Royals. Again, Sutcliffe played a vital part in the win as she contributed 26 kills and 2 aces on the night. Wohlford thought his team played much steadier on Friday, "Douglas didn't make many errors and we really had to keep the pressure on them and stay true to our style of play. We were able to capitalize on our strengths in the fourth set and close up the game in a strong fashion."
With the second-place finish, the Blues will travel to Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford for the PACWEST Provincial's Championships. The Blues will play Friday, Feb. 26th at 1 p.m. against the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal match between the Camosun Chargers and the COTR Avalanche. Wohlford is optimistic about his teams' chances at provincials, "we are one of the most offensive and best blocking teams in the league… I think if we stick to our strengths, we are a very tough team to beat."
On the men's side, the Blues (5-19) clinched a playoff berth and a first-round match-up with the VIU Mariners (14-10) which is set for, Thursday, Feb. 25th at 3 p.m. in Abbotsford.
