The VIU Mariners Women’s Volleyball Team hosted the Douglas Royals for back-to-back game days.
On January 17 and 18, the VIU Mariners Women’s Volleyball Team played against the Douglas Royals on VIU territory. A pair of outstanding performances by the Mariners would see them continue their extraordinary run through the regular season.
The first match began at 6 pm. The energetic Mariners squad conceded two points to start the first period, but quickly came back for a 7-3 lead before Douglas called their first timeout.
The Mariners continued to pull ahead, forcing Douglas to take their second and final timeout of the period, with a 12-6 lead. The Mariners would go on to close the first with a convincing 25-12 lead.
Douglas took an early 12-7 lead in the second period before the Mariners went on an 11 point run, again forcing Douglas to use a timeout to halt Mariners progression. Although the game went back and forth, the Mariners took the second with a score of 25-20.
The Royals were facing a 3-0 sweep, and came into the third with a 3-0 lead. However, the Mariners would work hard for a 4-3 comeback. Both teams would eventually tie at 6 before the Mariners would pull away for a 10-6 lead. Douglas wouldn’t let the Mariners run away with them game; after a timeout, the Royals would claw back into the running with an 11-10 lead.
Later tying the game at 18, the Mariners would call their first timeout of the period and the match. With the Mariners up 21-19, Douglas would call their final timeout of the match, but it wouldn’t take them very far. Coming out of the timeout, the Mariners would push their lead to 24-20. Eventually, the Mariners would win 25-23, providing confidence for the game on the following day.
Head Coach Shane Hyde said that Douglas is a good team, and they’ve been dealing with injuries all season, so they are just getting things together now.
“That’s been a rival team for us for years, so we respect them, definitely. We know what they can do,” Hyde said. “We let off the gas, and they got some confidence; I thought we made a few untimely errors, and tomorrow: we just gotta get a goodnight’s sleep and get back at it the same way we did today.”
Game two started at 1 pm, and the Mariners made quick work of the Royals in the opening period, winning 25-15.
The second saw the Mariners jump ahead 6-1, before a Douglas timeout. The Mariners would force the Royals to call their second timeout shortly after, pushing the lead to 12-5. The Mariners would eventually win the second 25-22, however the score doesn’t tell the whole story: the Mariners were able to rotate in some developing players.
Similarly, the third period offered the opportunity for the team to grow in bench depth. Eventually the Mariners would win 25-19, with another 3-0 win over Douglas.
“Today we did really well. They started rolling and tipping, playing a different game. And then we just changed our style also, on the fly, and I thought it went really well,” Hyde said. “We were able to get some different faces on the court, and get some experience for some other players, and I was happy with it”
Following the weekend’s events, the Mariners Women’s Volleyball Team have extended their win streak to 16, and remain undefeated in the Regular season. The Mariners will travel to the College of The Rockies for games on Friday and Saturday, January 24 and 25.
