The College of the Rockies men's volleyball team is setting some new goals for the new semester.

Among them is insisting Avalanche players bring their second-best to the court each night.

"It sounds funny because the usual saying is 'Bring your A game,' but I'm convinced with this team... when everybody else is at a B and you get a couple of guys step up to the plate, I think it gives you an opportunity to win," said head coach Steve Kamps.

Last Friday against the nationally-ranked Douglas College Royals (6-2), Jeremias Guenter and Jordan Preskar gave the team A games on the way to a five-set victory.

Guenter was subsequently given the B.C. Colleges' Athletic Association player of the week award.

"Every single practice, we're trying to get that consistency out of the guys and bring that into matches as well," said Kamps. "We did that on Friday: everybody was at a B and we had a couple of guys step up to an A."

Not everyone brought that B game Saturday, and Douglas won in four sets to retain second in the league.

On Friday, COTR (3-7) battled back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to win 25-20, 15-25, 24-26, 25-17, 15-5.

Kamps said Guenter benefited from Dan Metcalf rejoining the team at setter (see more below), as the pair found an immediate chemistry.

The coach feels Guenter is starting to achieve his potential after a quiet first semester.

"He was getting 50 or 60 per cent of our balls at least, and had an outstanding weekend," said Kamps. "They were clicking, and when they were it was pretty much impossible to stop Jeremias."

The Sylvan Lake native had 15 kills and nine digs in Friday's win. Over the weekend, he collected 28 kills, three blocks, three aces and 14 digs.

Preskar, meanwhile, switched from setter to power over the holidays, and played well enough in an exhibition tournament in Calgary to get the start Friday.

"I guess it paid off," said Kamps. "He was 55 per cent kill efficiency on (Friday) and finished with 12 kills for us. He passed the ball and served really well for us."

Brendan Visser also had a dozen kills, while Taylor Verboom came up with 11.

Kamps said his club ran out of energy on Saturday, while Douglas shook off its bus legs from the day before to win 25-21, 25-23, 18-25, 25-23.

"It was just a hard-fought match, and I've been working the guys extremely hard in practice and demanding a lot from them," said Kamps. "Physically and mentally, it's just a bit of an adjustment that's going to happen."

Brady Atwood had a dozen kills on Saturday, one less than Guenter.

Libero Kellan Ward came up with 27 digs in two matches.

The Avalanche improved their record to 3-7, which puts them in fifth place. They need to finish sixth or higher to make the playoffs.

THE METCALF BUMP

The Avalanche had lost setter Brodie Flis to a dislocated ankle before the 2010-11 season began.

Feeling the team had a lot of potential, Kamps had been looking to shore up the position.

"It was one area we felt we didn't have the experience and consistency to move the team forward," he said.

It so happened former Avs setter Dan Metcalf needed five courses to finish his degree; they weren't available at Vancouver Island University, but he could take them at COTR.

"It was a win-win for him and for us," said Kamps.

Metcalf had played for the Mariners after leaving the Avalanche, but is returning from a year and a half away from the game.

"He joined us in Calgary for the Mount Royal (exhibition) tournament, and got better every match," said Kamps. "Not having touched the ball in a bit, there were some improvements to be made and that was a great tournament for him and for all of us. He is still getting better by the contact and getting his court awareness back."

Kamps said the veteran's addition makes the Avalanche an automatic contender.

"Just his presence, you can't measure it. The guys are much more confident... He can do a lot of fixing if you're not passing perfectly."