CapU Blues sports info

The Capilano Blues hopes for a return to the CCAA National Championship went unfulfilled as the team dropped a five-set heartbreaker to the champion Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners Saturday at the PACWEST provincial championship.

VIU took the first set, as they had done on a couple of occasions to the Blues in the regular season. In two of those previous meetings, Capilano had been able to get back on track and took three of the four matches this season. Unfortunately for the veteran Capilano side, they were not able to replicate the result in the gold-medal game.

The Blues found themselves down two sets to none before finding the form that resulted in so much success this season. With no room for error, they came back with set wins in the third and fourth to set the stage for a decisive fifth set to 15 points.

VIU has played in the PACWEST title game so many times under head coach Shane Hyde that, despite allowing their stranglehold on the game to slip away, they were able to put that aside and start strong in the fifth, being the first to five and then 10 points, holding a 10-5 lead at that juncture. 

Capilano's desperation earned them only a couple more points after that as VIU took the final set 15-7 and claimed the 20th provincial title banner in program history.

VIU will represent the PACWEST once again at the CCAA National Championship, which will be held from March 11 to 14 at Providence University College in Niverville, Manitoba.

Blues outside hitter Nnya Mbaoma and middle blocker Sibby Bos were named to the tournament all-star team.