Comeback For the Ages
Mariners rebound from 2-0 down to defeat the Douglas Royals on their home court for PACWEST gold
[Game recap courtesy Ryan Watters / PACWEST]
The VIU Mariners completed the reverse sweep and claimed their first PACWEST gold since 2019 coming back to beat the Douglas Royals 20-25, 13-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-12.
They were led by Lucas Torres who was incredible compiling 20 kills including the match winner and added three aces. He was named the Player of the Match. Rylan Van Kooten made an impact as well adding 12 kills and Daniel Mascarenhas collected seven in the victory. Amazingly they made up most of the offensive punch with Max McDonald the only other player to record a kill.
Lucas Torres: VIU Player of the Game
With the comeback win the Mariners earn a spot at the CCAA national championship to be played at Camosun in two weeks [March 7-10, 2024].
The Royals suffer heartbreak after being in the driver seat after the first two sets riding the emotion of a big crowd but couldn't sustain their pace. In the end, Owen Lam finished with 19 kills and Lucas Sansone added 10 and five aces.
Following the match the tournament All-Stars and MVP were announced:
All-Stars [L-R]
Lucas Torres - VIU Mariners
Diego Policarpo – COTR Avalanche
Owen Lam – Douglas Royals
Elijah Kim – Douglas Royals
Mckinlee Kaulbach - Douglas Royals Athletics Events
Daniel Mascarenhas – VIU Mariners
Rylan Van Kooten – VIU Mariners
Owen Dyck – VIU Mariners
MVP:
Lucas Torres