The College of the Rockies Avalanche kicked off their 2025/26 PACWEST season in dominant fashion, earning back-to-back victories over the visiting CBC Bearcats in front of a packed COTR Gym.
On Friday night, the defending PACWEST silver medalists and CCAA bronze medalists made a statement with a 3–0 sweep (25–14, 25–18, 25–19). The Avs came out firing, led by 8 first-set points from Dylan Annala, and maintained control throughout the match. "We had a tremendous week of training leading up to the home opener, and that energy carried into the match," said Head Coach Cisco Farrero. "I thought our entire team did their job."
Last season's PACWEST Player of the Year Diego Policarpo chipped in 12 points, while Albert Francisco was named Player of the Match after contributing 7 kills and flawless defense. Farrero credited his team's depth and balance in the win, noting, "Dylan carried the offence on Friday, Diego was incredibly efficient, and our middle blockers were solid. Albert gave us a spark defensively and really set the tone with his consistency."
In Saturday's rematch, the Bearcats came out swinging, taking the first set 25–21 in a tightly contested battle. The Avs responded in the second behind a timely serving run from Jack Schmeiss, who helped push COTR to a 25–22 win to even the match. From there, the Avalanche seized momentum—powered once again by Policarpo and Annala—to take the third and fourth sets, closing out the weekend with a 3–1 victory (21–25, 25–22, 25–17, 25–19).
Schmeiss earned Player of the Match honors after sealing the win with his sixth kill, while Annala again led the way offensively with 17 points. Boston Thiessen ran a smooth attack, finishing with 40 assists, as the Avs' balanced offense proved too much for the Bearcats to handle.
Farrero praised the full team effort across the weekend, saying, "Boston ran our game plan really well, and Reece anchored two strong defensive performances. Both Albert and Jace brought different looks at the second outside spot. This group is a lot of fun to coach and challenge. It's going to be a fun year, and I'm grateful for our great home crowd and the opportunity to chase some lofty goals as an Av."
The Avalanche will now hit the road for a four-game Vancouver Island road trip, facing the VIU Mariners (3–1) and Camosun Chargers (1–3) in PACWEST action this week
