The Camosun Chargers womenB次元官网网址檚 and menB次元官网网址檚 volleyball teams enjoy two distinct advantages heading into this weekendB次元官网网址檚 PacWest provincial championships.
Not only did both teams finish in the top two in league play, earning a bye into tomorrowB次元官网网址檚 semifinals (Feb. 27), their players get to sleep in their own beds, as Camosun is hosting the event at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE) in Saanich.
Middle blocker Alex Sadowski, one of four Belmont Bulldogs alumni on the menB次元官网网址檚 side, points out that the last time Camosun hosted provincials, in 2010, the Chargers men came away with the B.C. crown.
And the way his team dominated possible semifinal opponent Vancouver Island University Mariners in the final week of regular season play; winning 3-0 last Saturday at home and 3-0 in Nanaimo Feb. 21; shows the Chargers are hitting their peak at the right time, he says.
B次元官网网址淚 think it definitely gives us a mental edge, we knew we beat them and we werenB次元官网网址檛 doing anything special; we were just doing what we normally do,B次元官网网址� Sadowski says of the VIU match. B次元官网网址淚t was nice to kind of send a physical and psychological message to them B次元官网网址次元官网网址�
The Chargers, whose Greater Victoria-trained players also include middle Douglas Waterman and leftsides Mark Severinsen and Taran Silas of Belmont; leftside Cameron Fennema of Pacific Christian, libero Elion Wong of Oak Bay and setter Gabriel Duval of Reynolds; have won matches against every team in the PacWest this season. That includes the nationally No. 1-ranked Douglas College Royals, who are a near shoo-in to be playing in Saturday nightB次元官网网址檚 B.C. final at PISE.
Keeping such a fact in mind will give the Chargers confidence as they battle to secure B.C.B次元官网网址檚 lone nationals berth, Sadowski says.
B次元官网网址淲e know weB次元官网网址檝e beaten them in the past in league games, so it all comes down to who plays that little bit better,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淰olleyballB次元官网网址檚 definitely one of those sports where anything can happen and any team can beat another on a given day.B次元官网网址�
Chargers menB次元官网网址檚 coach Charles Parkinson said the results against VIU give a good indication of how far theyB次元官网网址檝e come as a team this season, and a validation of all the training theyB次元官网网址檝e done to get here.
Camosun finished the season with an 18-6 match record, 60-27 if youB次元官网网址檙e counting individual sets won/lost. They come into the provincials ranked No. 8 in Canada, an odd situation considering the Columbia Bible College Bearcats, who finished fourth in the PacWest, moved up to No. 4 in this weekB次元官网网址檚 Canadian College Athletic Association ratings.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 spend a lot of time looking at that stuff,B次元官网网址� Parkinson says of the poll. B次元官网网址淎t the end of the day, youB次元官网网址檝e gotta play well for two matches to get to the Canadians. WeB次元官网网址檙e just going to play our game.B次元官网网址�
The Chargers first match is at 3 p.m. Friday against the winner between No. 3 VIU and No. 6 Capilano Blues. The other menB次元官网网址檚 semifinal happens at 8 p.m. The bronze medal match goes at 3 p.m. Saturday followed by the final starting at 8.
No. 1-ranked women Chargers in high gear
Coming off a split with VIU in their final two matches of the regular season, the Chargers glided into the No. 1 spot for the provincial womenB次元官网网址檚 draw, having lost just three matches all year (21-3) and posting a 68-19 games won/lost mark.
Unlike the men, for whom B.C. holds no wild card spot into the nationals, the top two womenB次元官网网址檚 teams qualify for next monthB次元官网网址檚 Canadian championships in Longueuil, Que. That leaves the Chargers, whose semifinal opponent Friday at 6 p.m. is either the College of the Rockies Avalanche or Fraser Valley Cascades B次元官网网址� Camosun went a combined 8-0 in match play against them this season B次元官网网址� in darned good shape.
The stellar regular season sees the Chargers ranked No. 2 in Canada behind only the Red Deer College Queens.
Led by Courtenay native Hilary Graham, who tops the team in various attack categories including kills (2.79 per game), aces (0.57) and total offence (3.50 points per game), the Chargers have a balanced attack and killer defence.
Homegrown players on the Chargers include Belmont alumnus Jamie Rodstrom at libero, middle Claire Ash (StellyB次元官网网址檚), outside hitter Megan Beckett (Reynolds) and setter Jasmine Strandlund (Lambrick Park).
The womenB次元官网网址檚 bronze medal match happens at 1 p.m., with the gold medal game set for 5:30 p.m.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
