The VIU Mariners got back to feeling good out on the volleyball court.
Vancouver Island University's women's volleyball team easily handled the College of the Rockies Avalanche in matches Thursday and Friday at the VIU gym, winning in straight sets both days. The M's won 25-14, 25-14, 25-13 on Thursday and then 25-20, 25-20, 25-20 on Friday.
The matches were important to the Mariners ladies because they were coming off what coach Shane Hyde had called a "demoralizing" loss on home court the week before to the first-placed University of the Fraser Valley.
"We were just talking about having fun – it got so serious against UFV," said Hyde. "It's a good way to end things off before we get the ball rolling for the second half."
The M's controlled the play Thursday and Friday against a clearly overmatched opponent.
"We were just very consistent throughout the whole match, which is something that we needed to work on from last week," said Leanna Gildersleeve, VIU power hitter, after Thursday's win.
The Mariners got a chance to use some of their depth players, who showed well, said the coach.
"We got some great efforts from players that normally don't get much time out there... We were able to try a few different things," said Hyde.
Gildersleeve said playing with a comfortable lead, her team tried to work on combo plays and tried to vary its attack. She liked seeing so many of her teammates get into the game.
"We just get so happy for other people that are getting kills, and it just shows how deep our team is," she said.
COURT SHORTS … The Mariners men's volleyball team also scored back-to-back wins over COTR last week, winning 24-26, 25-21, 26-24, 25-18 on Thursday and then 25-22, 25-16, 25-22 on Friday. The Pacific Western Athletic Association season resumes in the new year.
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