The College of the Rockies Avalanche men's volleyball team delivered a landmark weekend, battling through a dramatic five-set semifinal before capturing the program's first-ever PACWEST Championship and securing a berth to the CCAA National Championship for the second straight year.
Avalanche Survive Five-Set Thriller in Semifinal
For the fourth time this season, the Avalanche and Capilano Blues pushed their matchup to a decisive fifth set in a PACWEST semifinal that showcased the best of conference volleyball.
The Avalanche opened strong with a 25–19 first-set win before Capilano answered in extra points, taking the second 29–27. In the third, the Avalanche regained control behind a surging Dylan Annala, who found rhythm offensively while exploiting gaps in the Blues' defense on their way to a 25–20 win.
Capilano refused to go quietly. Led by Kyle Hinchey and Luke Tiegan, the Blues edged the fourth set 25–23 to force yet another winner-take-all fifth set between the two rivals.
Experience took over from there. The Avalanche leaned on their veteran presence and composure, grinding out a 15–12 victory to punch their ticket to the PACWEST final and secure an automatic berth to Nationals.
Head coach Cisco Farrero described the semifinal as a battle of wills:
"We knew Capilano was going to be a really tough matchup. Those two giant outsides make things really tough on us with their length and tonight we found a way to survive and advance. Boston was the difference with his execution of the gameplan. Diego and Dylan scored consistently, and Julius and Luke had massive moments in the fifth. Securing a spot at CCAA Nationals tonight is huge for us, and we were excited to go after PACWEST gold the next night."
Annala led COTR with 23 kills, while Diego Policarpo added 19. Julius Molnar and Luke Margenau supplied key secondary scoring, with Margenau sealing the match on a solo block. Setter Boston Thiessen earned Player of the Match after distributing 58 assists and anchoring the offense.
Avalanche Make History: First-Ever PACWEST Men's Volleyball Champions
In the championship final, the Avalanche completed their unforgettable weekend by defeating the VIU Mariners in four sets (24–26, 30–28, 25–22, 25–22) and capturing the first PACWEST title in program history.
After dropping a tight first set, the Avalanche showed championship resolve in the second, fending off three VIU set points before Policarpo delivered consecutive kills to secure a dramatic 30–28 victory. That win shifted the match's momentum entirely.
COTR rode that surge into the third, taking command early and never relinquishing the lead thanks to Policarpo's offensive pressure and two highlight-reel digs from libero Reece Clarke. With Thiessen distributing the ball with confidence and VIU's service pressure fading late, the Avalanche closed out the fourth set 25–22 to claim the historic championship.
Head coach Cisco Farrero emphasized what the moment meant to the college and community:
"What a night for our guys and our program. Winning that PACWEST banner means everything to us. To bring it home to Cranbrook for the first time in program history was a goal of ours, and we had to play great tonight — and we did. VIU makes you earn every single point, and our offense was awesome.
Once we got rolling, we had everything going. Our offense has carried us all season and in sets 3 and 4 it was pretty much flawless. Diego had his best match of the year tonight and was vintage spectacular Diego. Boston stuck with the middle, Luke and Julius were unstoppable late, and Dylan was his usual force at the net. Reece, Albert, and our defense just kept getting better as the match went on.
This first PACWEST banner couldn't have happened without the support of our department, our college, our families, our alumni, and all our fans. Now we're excited to chase a national banner in Edmonton in 10 days."
Thiessen finished with 61 assists in the final. Policarpo dominated with 26 kills and earned both Player of the Match and Tournament MVP honours. Annala added 18 kills, while Margenau and Molnar combined for 17 crucial middle attacks. Clarke anchored the back court with 17 digs and steady passing, and Albert Francisco added two aces, nine digs, and timely scoring.
Tournament All-Stars & Awards
All-Stars:
• Kyle Hinchey – Capilano Blues
• Marvin Tumusiime – Douglas Royals
• Rylan Van Kooten – VIU Mariners
• Owen Dyck – VIU Mariners
• Dylan Annala – COTR Avalanche
• Boston Thiessen – COTR Avalanche
Tournament MVP:
• Diego Policarpo – COTR Avalanche
Next Stop: Nationals
COTR now heads to Edmonton as the PACWEST Champions for the 2024 CCAA National Championship, while VIU joins the tournament as the conference wildcard.