VIU Volleyball and Basketball competitions are cancelled through PACWEST for the 2021 season. (CCAA Sports)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

SEASON OVER

PACWEST cancels 2021 winter season, VIU athletics take two week hiatus

Nov 19, 2020 | 10:31 AM

NANAIMO — The VIU women’s volleyball team will be unable to add a fourth consecutive national championship to their impressive dynasty.

Their league’s governing body, PACWEST, announced the cancellation of the 2021 winter season on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

The move affects university volleyball and basketball, both of which are hallmark programs at VIU.

“Our priority is to ensure the health, safety and well-being of member institution’s student-athletes, coaches, athletics programs, and their surrounding communities,” Jake McCallum, PACWEST president, said.

PACWEST’s fall season was also cancelled due to the pandemic which affected the first half of the basketball and volleyball seasons, along with soccer and golf.

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The VIU Mariners women’s volleyball team won a third consecutive national title in Quebec in March as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold.

The 2020 CCAA nationals were one of the last, large-scale sporting events to operate with the finals of the tournament coming after most professional and amateur leagues had suspended play.

“Never have I experienced anything like this,” Shane Hyde, womens volleyball coach, told NanaimoNewsNOW in March. “We thought the whole thing was going to be cancelled.”

This week, VIU also took an additional step of implementing a two week pause on all athletic activity at the school, effective Nov. 17.

VIU said in a release the move is in response to rising case counts on Vancouver Island, including an outbreak at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and multiple clusters in the Nanaimo school system.

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