As the PacWest volleyball season enters its final four weeks, the battle for position in the standings will be more crucial than ever. The VIU Mariners’ men’s volleyball team has had a strong season so far and have found themselves in the midst of a battle for second place in the standings.
After the first 16 games of the season, the Mariners and their Island rival the Camosun Chargers both have identical 11-5 records, tying them for second place in the standings. Whichever team can capture second place will receive a big boost in the provincial championships, as the first and second place teams receive a bye to the second round of the provincials.
The Mariners traveled to the mainland on January 23 and 24 for games against the Fraser Valley University Cascades. The Mariners got off to a slow start in the first game of the weekend between the two teams, losing the first two sets of the match. But the Mariners managed to battle back, winning the third set before managing to take a dramatic fourth set 25-23. In the fifth set, the Mariners completed the comeback and took the dramatic victory 3-2.
The two teams were back in action the next night, and once again the Cascades won the first set, this time winning by a score of 25-18. But the Mariners didn’t fall behind 2-0 again, winning the second and third sets to take the lead in the match. The Cascades tried to extend the match to fifth set in front of their home fans, but the Mariners took the fourth set 25-13 to complete the weekend sweep.
The wins were back for the Mariners as the team was coming off back-to-back five-set losses to the Columbia Bible College Bearcats the week before.
The Mariners are back in action at home January 30 and 31 as the team takes on the visiting Capilano Blues. The game starts at 8 pm on January 30 and 1 pm on the 31. For more information on the Mariners and their schedule, visit .
