WVB: Cascades stay alive with straight sets win

WVB: Cascades stay alive with straight sets win

2/25/2023 7:04:29 PM

David Larkins/Wesmen Athletics

WINNIPEG — The Fraser Valley Cascades bounced back in a big way Saturday.
 
Gabrielle Attieh had 15 kills and 20 digs and the Cascades defeated the Winnipeg Wesmen 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-19) in Game 2 of the Canada West women’s volleyball quarter-final at the Duckworth Centre.
 
The result kept the Cascades alive and forced a third game in the best-of-three series Sunday (1 p.m. CT).
 
The Cascades were a picture of consistency, a stark contrast to the night before when they had 14 service errors and lamented their mistakes in a four-set loss. Saturday, they recorded 78 digs and held Winnipeg to .015 hitting for the match, with three Wesmen regulars hitting in the negatives.
 
Lauren Attieh added 13 kills, and Emily Matsui had 19 digs.
 
“Volleyball’s a pretty simple game when your serve-pass game’s in tune, so I think we were a bit better, and I think we can be even better (Sunday),” UFV head coach Janelle Rozema said.
 
“Both sides know their opponents now, so both sides will be playing a pretty strategic match and there’s going to be great volleyball to see (Sunday).”
 
There was little to cheer about on the Winnipeg side offensively, at least. Haille Bujan led the team with six kills and all-star Emma Parker managed just five kills on 40 swings. Parker, Ashleigh Laube and Taylor Cangemi each had 15 digs.
 
“We looked a little slow in all aspects of the game,” Wesmen head coach Phil Hudson said. “We didn’t really serve very well. They were in-system almost all the time, and one-on-one on the outside is very difficult. And they got more production out of their middles today.”