The Vancouver Island University Mariners women’s volleyball team doesn’t seem to need pressure to win.
The ladies just completed a 22-2 season in the Pacific Western Athletic Association, and on Friday (Feb. 24) they take the No. 1 seeding into provincial championships in New Westminster.
The Mariners didn’t need to finish 22-2, and they don’t need to win provincials – all season long, they’ve known that there’s a host berth in nationals waiting for them March 8-10 at the VIU gym.
So the team can just enjoy the good feelings of playing – and winning – volleyball matches.
“We have a thing called ‘team jellin’ and that’s when everything’s right and everything’s going how we want,” said Leanna Gildersleeve, VIU player.
Coach Shane Hyde sees it, too – a confident bunch of players having fun. At times this season, he’s tried to implore them to raise the intensity. But as the year has progressed, he’s realized that’s not how this group rolls.
“[They] stay pretty controlled emotionally and maybe that’s the makeup of this team,” Hyde said. “We don’t need to get super fired up.”
His players have stayed calm, even while playing more five-set matches than in any season the coach can remember.
“We know how to play in those games,” he said. “We know how to dig deep into our bench and pull out victories and we’ve proven we can do that.”
Gildersleeve said with other PacWest teams vying for berths at nationals, this weekend’s provincials could turn into a dogfight. Her M’s will need to play with some intensity, she said, but also keep things positive and keep things light the way they have all season.
“I’m pretty sure that we’re in the right direction to have a good outcome this weekend,” she said.
Mariners have boatload of all-stars
The Vancouver Island University Mariners volleyball squads are veritable all-star teams.
Both the men’s and women’s teams were honoured with numerous selections to the Pacific Western Athletic Association all-star teams, announced this week.
Topping the list is graduating Mariners veteran Milo Warren, who was selected as PacWest’s Men’s Player of the Year after a season in which he led the conference in kills per game and total offence. He and Lee Hamilton are first-team all-stars and Nigel Proch is a second team all-star.
Jacqueline Doleman and Dani Smith are first-team all-stars, Leanna Gildersleeve, a second-team all-star. Alyssa Wolf made PacWest’s all-rookie team.
GAME ON … VIU’s women’s and men’s volleyball teams both have a first-round bye at PacWest provincials and start competition Friday at Douglas College.
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