The Capilano Blues will host the Camosun Chargers in a matchup of two of the best women’s volleyball teams in the country this weekend.
While the Blues are certainly fired up to take on the Chargers in what will be a battle for first place in the PacWest league, the one word in the previous sentence they might be most excited about is “host.”
Capilano hasn’t played a home volleyball game since November and the team is itching to get back on their home floor. Their last matches at the Sportsplex were a pair of 3-0 sweeps over College of the Rockies Nov. 29-30 that pushed Capilano’s record to 11-1 and vaulted them up to No. 3 in the CCAA national rankings. Since then, however, the Blues have played six straight road matches with diminishing results.
The toughest stretch came in the past two weeks when the Blues spent nearly 24 hours in a bus traveling to and from Cranbrook for a pair of matches against COTR Jan. 23-24. Just a few days after that they were back on the road — boat actually — travelling to Vancouver Island University, a tough place to play under the best circumstances. The Blues split with COTR before losing both to VIU, dropping their season record to 14-4 to sit in second place behind 16-2 Camosun.
“We had a brutal schedule,” said head coach Cal Wohlford. “That COTR trip takes a lot out of the team. . . . The first half of the season we showed a lot of grit. Even if we were behind we’d play hard and come back. We’d have these little roller coaster rides, but for the most part we fought through it. I think right now, just the last couple of weekends, we’ve just been lacking that little bit of effort.”
By the time the VIU trip rolled around the Blues were looking like a different team than the one that rocketed to first place early in the season.
“We didn’t show up,” he said about Capilano’s play against the Mariners. “VIU came out on fire against us.”
Including this weekend’s double dip against Camosun, the Blues will play five of their last six matches at home. That’s just what the team needs, said Wohlford.
“We’ve got to rebound and start playing our A game a little,” he said. “Being at home is going to be good for this last little run. It’ll help us get back into a groove.”
The Blues sit four points behind Camosun but a pair of wins this weekend would put Capilano back into first place — the Blues handed Camosun their only two losses earlier this season and another sweep would clinch the season series for Capilano. Wohlford predicts this weekend’s matchups will feature contrasting styles.
“Camosun passes well and they serve fairly aggressively. We’re a strong attacking team and a strong blocking team. Those things kind of counterbalance each other. I’m expecting pretty good games.”
Passing, in fact, is one thing that is currently holding back Capilano’s high powered attack, said Wohlford. Right side hitter Kira Sutcliffe and powers Alexis Sebok and Kelsi Boroevich form one of the biggest hitting trios in the league but they can’t go to work if the ball doesn’t end up in the right place.
“It doesn’t matter how good your hitters are if you can’t pass the ball up to the net,” said Wohlford.
The one consistent strength for the Blues has been their blocking, said Wohlford, with third-year captain Kolbi Richter and rookie Danae Shephard putting up big walls from the middle blocker spot.
“Danae is one of the best rookies in the league,” said Wohlford. “She’s starting to lead in blocks, she’s attacking well, she’s starting to show some real composure out there.”
Keeping the offence moving is third year setter Sarah Hughes, who has continued to impress despite the fact that this is only in her second year as a setter, said Wohlford. Hughes is third on the team in blocks per game and has the most service aces of any player in the league.
“She’s kind of one of those silent competitors, but she’s a pretty competitive person,” he said. “She’s pretty much picked up where she left off last year and made some improvements. She mixes the ball around pretty good and she’s a little bit of an offensive threat as well.”
Wohlford isn’t expecting the Blues to run the table over the next three weeks but he does expect his team to start playing like league leaders again.
“I want to start creating pressure on the other team, that when things are clicking for us we’re tough to beat,” he said. “I don’t mind losing games, but I don’t like losing games because we have a lack of effort. I want us to be playing our best, and if another team plays better then I’m fine with that. But I want to be coming out strong. I believe in the team I have, I believe in the ability that they’ve got, I believe that we have the most talent on our team. I feel sometimes that they have to believe a little bit more in themselves.”
Last season the Blues won silver at the provincial championships and went on to finish fifth at nationals. This year Wohlford wants to better those numbers.
“We came second last year and we want to take it a step further this year,” he said. “I’d like to come back with a medal from nationals. The bottom line is it all depends on how we play at provincials.”
The homestretch starts this weekend against Camosun. Friday night’s women’s match at the Capilano Sportsplex begins at 6 p.m. with the men to follow. Saturday’s match gets underway at 1 p.m., again with the men to follow.
