The Avalanche Women's Volleyball team headed into the weekend sitting 3rd in the PACWEST, while Douglas College held 6th place. After flying into Vancouver on Thursday afternoon, the team settled in with a team meal and a good night's rest, ready for Friday's matchup.
Friday's game started tightly contested, with both teams trading points early. Douglas gradually increased their serving pressure, putting the Avs' serve receive to the test. Despite some impressive rallies, the Royals were able to pull ahead and win the first set. In the second set, COTR battled back and applied their own service pressure, but Douglas continued to execute at a high level and secured the set. By the third set, the Avalanche had improved their passing and were able to generate some offense, led by Eloise Newsome's 7 kills, but it wasn't enough as Douglas took the set and the match. Hannah Gray led the team with 8 digs, providing consistent back-row defense throughout the contest.
Saturday offered a chance for redemption, and the Avs came out ready to compete. The first set was competitive, but Douglas' key digs converted into break points that gave them the edge. The second set saw COTR elevate their play, fighting point for point and challenging the Royals' offense. Despite a late rally and saving match points, Douglas ultimately took the set 27–25, showing the depth and resilience of both teams. In the third set, the Avalanche again fought hard after a slow start, with Isla Roden contributing 4 kills and a block and Stevie Friesen recording 14 digs, but the Royals completed a 3–0 sweep of the weekend.
Head Coach Bryan reflected on the weekend: "It was no secret that this was an important series for us, and hats off to Douglas for playing such solid volleyball. From our side, it came down to serve receive — it's just too hard to compete at this level when you give up direct aces. That said, the effort and fight from our players was incredible. We have a few days to work on the details and reset our mindset to face Camosun this upcoming weekend. I'm excited to see our athletes step up and compete in front of our home crowd."