Chargers men's volleyball team win gold
The Camosun Chargers men’s volleyball team kept their title as provincial champs and defeated the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (UFV) in three straight sets to win gold at the BC Colleges’ Athletic Association (BCCAA) provincial championship.
The women’s team was eliminated in the first round by long-time rivals, the Vancouver Island University Mariners (VIU).
For the first time ever, Camosun College hosted the tournament on its home court at the Pacific Institute of Sports Excellence (PISE), Feb. 25–27.
The men started off the tournament by taking out the Columbia College Bearcats in four sets in the quarterfinals.
Aleks Saddlemyer was named player of the game for Camosun. Saddlemyer was also awarded as BCCAA first team All-Star earlier in the week.
The Chargers went on to take on the UBC-O Heat in the semifinals. The Heat was undefeated during the regular season.
“We were absolutely rock solid,” says head coach Charles Parkinson.
The Chargers’ defence had an incredible 51 digs in the three sets it took for the team to eliminate UBC-O.
UBC–O went on to win the bronze medal match against VIU.
After defeating UFV in the gold medal match, the men are preparing to take on teams from across Canada in the Canadian Colleges’ Athletic Association (CCAA) National Men's Volleyball Championship hosted by Grant McEwan College in Edmonton, March 11-13.
Last season, the Chargers men won bronze in the tournament.
“Our goal is to be the best college program in the nation and we still have a lot of work to do when we travel to Edmonton,” says Parkinson.
In the provincial tournament, the Chargers women couldn’t make it past the quarterfinals, falling to VIU in four sets. Camosun won the first set 25–23, but were defeated in the following three.
The UBC-O women took home the gold, and in a repeat of last year’s match-up against VIU, the Kelowna team won three straight sets against the team from Nanaimo.
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