ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The University of the Fraser Valley Cascades bounced back after a game one loss to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to take game two in straight sets (25-21, 26-24, 25-22). The result sets up a deciding game three on Sunday at the UFV Athletic Centre in Abbotsford.
“I think we played a lot more consistently than we did yesterday,” UFV head coach Janelle Rozema noted after the game. “In the third set we dipped a bit, but it was nice to see them respond and claw their way back in to close it out.”
Lauren Attieh led the way offensively for UFV, scoring 13 kills, and three aces, while hitting .314 in the match. Mandi Feist added nine kills and three aces, and Sydney Wright had five kills.
“Lauren [Attieh] keeps defenses guessing because if they take something away she just hits something else,” Rozema said about her outside hitter. “As such a versatile attacker, teams try to make adjustments on her and it just opens up space in other areas she can hit.”
Like the previous night, the Cascades came out strong in the opening set, building an 18-13 lead, partly thanks to five first frame kills and two aces from Attieh. The Huskies battled back closing the gap to just a single point on a Hannah kill, but the Cascades pulled away again late to take it 25-21.
UFV continued to roll in the second, jumping out to a 5-0 lead after a Cailin Bitter ace forced a timeout from Huskies’ head coach Mark Dodds. Bitter came out of the timeout with another ace, and the Cascades continued the run to 9-0. A pair of aces from Keely Anderson helped Saskatchewan chip away at the score eventually tying it up at 17 on an Anderson kill. The teams traded short runs to find themselves level at 24, but it was UFV that would get the upper hand once again in the late stages of the frame with Alicja Hardy-Francis and Attieh finding kills to close it out.
A Jessica Bergstrom kill was followed by a pair of Haley Poier aces, as the Huskies took a 17-12 lead in the third. The Cascades were not to be stopped on Saturday, however, as a Cailin Bitter service run was capped off by a Mo Likness block to put UFV up 22-21. From there a kill and an ace from Attieh sealed the set and the match 25-22.
“We played a little bit worse than yesterday, and they played better,” coach Dodds mentioned after the game. There was a big chunk of the match where it was pretty even – all three sets within four points.”
“We should be the ones playing with desperation as the eight seed against the number one seed, but when you win the first game it changes your mindset a bit. Now it’s back to the drawing board and come back tomorrow with one chance to win and go to nationals.”
The two teams will now meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT at the UFV Athletic Centre for the deciding game three. You can also watch live on Canada West TV. The winner of that match will advance to the Canada West semifinals and book their ticket to the USPORTS final eight.
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