The College of the Rockies Avalanche Women's Volleyball team wrapped up a challenging four-game road trip on Vancouver Island, facing off against the VIU Mariners and Camosun Chargers. Despite a demanding travel schedule and competitive matchups, the Avs battled hard, showing growth, composure, and fight in every match.
After a full travel day on Wednesday, the Avalanche arrived in Nanaimo ready to take on the defending PACWEST champion VIU Mariners on Thursday evening. The Mariners took the opening set convincingly as COTR struggled with ball control and defense early, but the Avs rebounded well, pushing VIU in the following two sets before falling just short in a 0–3 loss. Hannah Gray led the offense with 9 kills, while Sloane Brodner added 2 aces and Daivan Scherman chipped in 2 blocks.
On Friday, the Avalanche responded with renewed focus and played solid volleyball throughout. After dropping the first set, COTR battled back to take the second, and despite holding a late lead in the fourth set, fell 1–3 to the Mariners. Eloise Newsome paced the attack with 9 kills, Stevie Friesen anchored the defense with 13 digs, and Emma Lang added 2 blocks in the middle.
Saturday's match in Victoria saw the Avs bounce back in thrilling fashion against the Camosun Chargers. After a slow start in the opening set, the Avalanche stormed back to win the next two sets, then regrouped after a close fourth to claim a 15–13 victory in the fifth set. Eloise Newsome led the way with 14 kills, Brodner continued her strong serving performance with 4 aces, and Isla Roden was a wall at the net with 4 blocks.
Sunday's rematch against the Chargers was a reversal of fortune. The Avs came out hot, dominating the first set, but Camosun rallied to take the next two. COTR fought hard to extend the match with a gutsy fourth-set win before falling in the fifth. Hannah Gray recorded 11 kills, Kayla Brasok added 4 blocks, and Hannah Zurakowski picked up 17 digs to lead the defense.
The Avalanche now head into a much-needed bye weekend to recharge before returning home to host the Douglas Royals on November 14 and 15 at College of the Rockies.
Coach Bryan's Thoughts:
"The team came into this crazy four-game weekend feeling quite healthy and well prepared. We didn't have much time to train specifically for either team with only two practices after the CBC weekend, but the girls did a nice job of executing our game plans. I was really happy with how we looked in each of the games from a volleyball standpoint, as we've been making some nice improvements with skills and execution. At times this weekend our mental batteries started to drain, causing some on-court struggles, but when we play locked into each point, I have full confidence that we can beat any team in the league. Looking forward to hosting Douglas in a few weeks!"