Simon Fraser University's volleyball team was on fire at home on Saturday, beating both Capilano University and Douglas College in straight sets.
The Clan women took on Capilano's Blues in the afternoon game and were feeling a bit of heat from their North Van competitors. The Blues led the first set 5-1, but soon the Clan began to push back, scoring eight of the next 12 points to tie the set at nine apiece. From there, the Clan and Blues traded points, leading to a 16-16 tie.
But that's all the room the Blues would get in the first set. The Clan came back with a vengeance, outscoring Capilano 9-1 for a final score of 25-17 in the first set.
"I thought we had a great team effort consistently throughout the weekend," said Clan head coach Gina Schmidt in a media release. "We used several different lineups, but whoever was out there played their role and played it well."
The Clan continued to lead in the following two sets, winning the second 25-13 and the third 25-18.
Some outstanding Clan players included Burnaby's own Madeleine Hait, who had six kills against Capilano.
Hait had another 10 kills during the Clan's evening game against New Westminster's Douglas College. The Clan swept the Royals three sets to none.
SFU opened the game scoring the first four points of the set, followed by the next 10 of 12. By the end of the first set, the Clan had beaten the Royals 25-17.
It was a repeat score in the second set, but the Royals weren't as easy to take this time around. The New West girls trailed by three points before the Clan were able to open the margin, eventually winning 25-17.
The Clan fell behind the Royals in the third set when the visitors managed to sneak in the first point. The Royals were keen to win and kept the score close, which was tied 10 times throughout the set.
The Clan finally broke the stalemate, beating the Royals 25-20 in the final set.
Along with Hait, SFU's Brooklyn Gould-Bradbury also had a big game with 38 assists in the game against Douglas College.
"I love running a five-one offensively and being the setter in the front row. Blocking is a little bit of a struggle for me, but it's a lot of fun at the same time," said Gould-Bradbury in a media release. "Coach Schmidt has done an amazing job. I think all of the new players, along with the coaching staff, have brought a whole new attitude and a new aggressiveness to the court."
The Clan women kick off conference play this week on the road. They'll head south of the border to take on Seattle Pacific Falcons and Montana State University Billings.
The Royals are in exhibition for a couple more weeks. They open their season at home in New Westminster against the Capilano Blues on Oct. 11. Game starts at 6 p.m.
