Although College of the Rockies men's Avalanche and Capilano Blues teams entered the January 17 and 18 weekend set of matches on opposite ends of the PACWEST standings it was the sixth place Blues that came out strong to start the first set on Friday night. The Blues forced an early timeout after taking a 16-15 lead on the first place Avs. Thanks to a couple of kills from Diego Policarpo and a big block by Jack Schmeiss and Reed Grusing, and a set-ending ball kill from Boston Thiessen, the Avs were able to take the first set. From that moment on the #1 nationally ranked Avalanche found their footing and took over the remainder of the match winning the final two sets handily 25-14, 25-15 to extend their season-long winning streak to 13. Early in the 3rd set Diego Policarpo surpassed 1000 career kills, but for the first time this season someone else was the Avs top scorer, with Opposite Reed Grusing tallying 16 points (11kills, 4 aces and 1 block). Policarpo added 15 points, Ethan Braam and Albert Francisco each scored 6 points, Boston Thiessen had 28 assists and Reece Clarke totalled 5 digs from the libero position.
"Capilano came out strong on Friday and I thought we were a little hesitant to start the match but after about 15-15 I felt like both Reed and Diego were able to get going and carried us through that first set," coach Cisco Farrero' reflected. "After that it felt like our serving and defense stepped up which allowed our transition attack, which has been an area of strength for us this season, to shine. Adding Reed Grusing to our lineup has further strengthened us as he brings a big-time arm and a calmness to the opposite position. Thisthis will go a long way in the playoff run."
With several different athletes on the floor Saturday the Avalanche were able to showcase the depth of their roster with another 3-0 win over the Capilano Blues. Fourth year outside hitter Diego Policarpo turned in a spectacular performance with 24 points carrying him into first place all-time in the Avalanche program for total points scored, breaking the previous record of 1191 set by Curtis Stockton. Setter Brett Kester found Diego early as a part of a 31-assist performance. Offensively Rookie Jhet Bowen chipped in 6 points and Jack Schmiess, five, to supplement Policarpo. The Avs are now 14-0 on the season and have clinched a top 2 regular season finish in the PACWEST.
Saturday was a great day to be an Av," Farrero added. "For Diego to set our all-time scoring record in front of our home crowd is a special moment for our program. He works so hard and is such a great teammate and ambassador for our program. He deserves every single accolade he receives. The weekend was great for our entire roster as we were able to get significant contributions from some of our less-heralded guys. This whole group trains hard, supports one another, cares for one another, and I couldn't be happier with our total weekend performance."
