A look at this week’s matchups
By Davie Wong, Sports Reporter
After possibly the biggest two weeks of the regular season for both basketball and volleyball, both teams are looking at an easy week heading into the reading break. Here’s a look at this week’s games.
Men’s Basketball:
The men have a good practice week coming up. They will travel on the road to visit the Kwantlen Eagles (KPU) and the Columbia Bible College Bearcats (CBC). After last week’s game, the men are looking to repeat their efforts. The rout against Capilano last week, and Camosun the week before that, was impressive, but these are the games that the men need to win.
In order to be able to compete against good teams, you need to be able to beat the bad teams—that is exactly what CBC and KPU are. KPU is sitting at the bottom of the conference and have yet to win a game, while CBC has only won 2 games out of 14. The Royals need the points to move higher up in the standings, but more importantly, prove to themselves that the last two weeks were not flukes.
The last time these teams came to visit, the Royals crushed them. Expect the same results, except this time, on their courts.
Women’s Basketball:
The women also have a good practice opportunity coming up against the Eagles and the Bearcats this week. KPU’s women team is also winless in 14 games, while CBC is doing slightly better.
The last time these teams met up, the Royals blew right through them on their way the way to the top. This week, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few bench players getting the start in lieu of the regular starters. Regardless, this week should end with the Royals extending their streak to 14 wins.
Men’s Volleyball:
The men are in desperate need of a rest week. The last couple of weeks has pushed the team to the edge in terms of depth. They played a total of 19/20 possible sets in the last two weeks. This week, they play the CBC Bearcats at home. The matchup should be much easier for them than the last two weeks.
The last time these two teams met, it was nowhere near close. The Royals destroyed the Bearcats in a methodical fashion. This week should be more or less the same. However, look for coach Hudson to play some of his less experienced players and rest some of the veterans.
Women’s Volleyball:
This should have been an easy matchup the last time these teams met. Instead, CBC ended up taking a game off the Royals in a convincing, yet tight fashion. With the team’s current losing streak, this matchup will show what the team is made of.
On paper, these two games should be easy for the Royals. But, no doubt, the Bearcats are aiming for yet another upset. Whether or not the team has bounced back from the losses on the island will be such an important factor coming into this week.
The Royals want all the momentum they can get before the playoffs at the end of the month.