The Huskies played good volleyball, with many close sets.

On Oct. 20 and 21, the Huskies men’s and women’s teams faced Trinity Western in a weekend of volleyball. The weekend was a tough one for both teams, but the women’s team stole a win from the Spartans.

The weekend saw each Huskies volleyball team play two matches against the visiting Trinity Western Spartans. The women’s squad had a promising start to the weekend, but they couldn’t quite hold on to it, losing their first set 25-17. They returned to take the next two, before dropping the final two sets to lose the game 3-2.

However, the women’s team was much more successful in their second meeting with the Spartans on Oct. 21. Taking three straight sets, the women’s squad swept the match in some very tense volleyball, as each set was determined by a matter of a few points.

Mark Dodds, head coach for the women’s squad, describes how the team managed to pull forward and surpass Trinity Western after their initial loss in the first match.

“We made a few adjustments after Friday night’s game — [we] learned a little bit from the video and just obviously [learned] from playing that match and [got] a little more comfortable out on the court… We basically made it very difficult for Trinity Western to be successful, and in turn, we were quite successful, and the girls played an absolutely perfect game,” Dodds said.

The men’s team had a much rougher weekend, as they started their season by losing six straight sets, despite showing promise in the pre-season. In their first match against the Spartans, each set was fairly close, with the Huskies mustering up 21 points for both the first and last sets. This was the case for the second game as well, which saw the Huskies reach 22 points before dropping their sixth and final set.

Despite the rough weekend, Brian Gavlas, head coach for the men’s Huskies volleyball team, says that — while his team may be young — they have potential, and he is feeling optimistic about the season as a whole.

“I fully expect us to be with the whole group of teams that are going to be fighting for a playoff position, and how that shakes out at the end of the year is going to be reflective, a little bit, of how teams develop and evolve as the year progresses,” Gavlas said. “I like to think that we have a pretty good upside and learning curve that we can reach by the end of the year.”

Both team’s have a long season ahead of them and plenty of talent to keep an eye on as they go forward. The Huskies volleyball teams will be heading to Brandon to face off against the Bobcats on Oct. 27 and 28.

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Jack Thompson / Sports & Health Editor

Photos: J.C. Balicanta Narag / Photo Editor