Photo by Davie Wong
Women’s volleyball powerhouse clash
By Davie Wong, Sports Editor
Well I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been waiting for this match since the beginning of the season. The defending National champions, the VIU Mariners, are coming to play the Douglas College Royals in what will likely be a battle of epic proportions.
The best ranked team in the CCAA are definitely no push overs. With a record of 15–3, they have more than dominated the PACWEST this season. With 3 of their players in the top 10 kills per set in the PACWEST, and 3 in the top 10 total offensive stats per set in the PACWEST, the VIU roster is definitely not short on talent.
Their record also speaks to their skill. Having gone 5–1 since the second half of the season, the Mariners are currently on a five game tear. With their games last weekend being postponed, they could very well be coming into the Royals court having had a full week’s worth of rest. Definitely not a good premonition for the Royals.
However, the Royals have their own things going for them. Right up there in the standings with VIU, the Royals share the illustrious top spot with the Mariners, holding a record of 15–5. The Royals also have a squad that can go toe to toe with any player on the Mariners line-up. Juliana Penner, Vicki Schley, and Vania Oliveira are just some of the heavy hitters the Royals have going for them. In the middle they line up two of the best blockers in the league in Georgia Hurry and Autumn Davidson. And covering them defensively is Claudia Corneil, who is pound-for-pound one of the best at her position of libero in the PACWEST and maybe even CCAA.
While not as dominant as the Mariners, the Royals have still been on top of their form, going 6–2 since the beginning of the second half of the season. However, one of the most important factors happen to be who the Royals already beat. One of the Mariners’ three losses belongs to the Royals, who defeated them handily in a 3–1 bout.
So we know that the Mariners can be beat, and we definitely know that the Royals can beat them. While the idea of the Mariners coming off a bye week is terrifying, they still have to travel to Douglas, which we know is quite the journey in and of itself. While part of me hopes that their ferry ride is long and draining, I also want to see these two teams performing at their peaks. After all, this could very well be a preview of the PACWEST Championship Finals.
