WOLFPACK IN ‘DO OR DIE’ AGAINST DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS AT 2010 CIS FINALS March 11, 2010
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(A. Snucins photo)
It’s the ‘calm before the storm’ for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s volleyball team. Pat Hennelly and his crew have one last practice before hitting the floor on Friday night (Mar 12) at the 2010 CIS Men’s Volleyball Nationals.
Their challenge is a daunting one. Their opponents will be the two time defending national champions and three time Canada West title holders: The University of Alberta Golden Bears.
“We are used to being in a tough conference, playing tough games,” says Hennelly. “ I think it is unfortunate for both teams that we have to meet each other so soon at a national championship. We aren’t focusing on how we played against Alberta in the past.”
Historically, the WolfPack have never beaten Alberta. The last time the teams met came last weekend (Sat Mar 6) at the Canada West final four. The Bears came out on top in four sets (25-18,23-25,25-17,25-20). “I think we were trying to be too perfect,” the ‘Pack coach explained. “ We were trying to do things which were outside of our norm. Our goal tomorrow is to relax, play to our potential and cut down on our errors. We need to be good at our side of the net and serve hard from the line and hope the crowd will be the ‘x’ factor to push us over the top.”
Yes, the crowd. The proverbial seventh man could possibly be the factor which sways the outcome. TRU is playing at home. A large and boisterous crowd is expected. The WolfPack have been promoting this National Championships for the last year and slowly, but surely Kamloops has become more and more of a volleyball community. TRU has played before over a thousand people more than once this season. Friday night (Mar 12) should be no different.
“Whenever we have had a big crowd, our guys fed off of it,” he says. “ Against Brandon, the crowd was on them when they served and we were doing well. Even if we get that level of fan interaction, it’ll be a big advantage. The more people that come out to support us, the more chance we have of being successful.”
Hennelly knows that his big guns—first team All-Canadian Gord Perrin (3rd year, outside hitter, Creston, BC), CIS rookie of the year Kevin Tillie (1st year, left side, Cagnes Sur Mer, France), Robin Schoebel (4th year, outside hitter, Monaco) and Behlul Yavasgel (5th year, middle/outside, Aydin, Turkey) will be counted on heavily. He is hoping some of his lesser lights step up their play, and will need them to in order to stay on the championship side of the draw.
“Laval, Alberta and Dalhousie are very good teams.” he explains. “ They are the top three seeds and we knew that we were going to get one of them. We absolutely need someone to come through. Joel Caschetto (4th year, middle, White Rock, BC) was big in the Canada West quarterfinals against Brandon. Whenever you get someone else contributing , it takes the pressure of the big four. To be national champion, you need to have players come off the bench and perform beyond expectations. Ten per cent more offensive output or one less mental error from a player could make a difference.”
Hennelly adds that his team has geared up all year to play in the spotlight against a top team: and everything they’ve worked on comes down to that big match on Friday.
Other first round match ups at the CIS Nationals have Montreal against Laval (1 pm Fri Mar 12), Queen’s taking on Trinity Western (3 pm March 12), and Calgary facing Dalhousie (8 pm Fri Mar 12). The WolfPack/Bears tilt is set for 6 pm.
SIDE OUTS: There are still a number of tickets available for the weekend. The WolfPack have invited the Kamloops Taiko Drummers to perform at their match on Friday. The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets of Kamloops will be the color guard before the match as well.
The match will be broadcast via the internet on: www.SSNCanada.ca http://www.ssncanada.ca/
TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETICS: PROUD HOSTS OF THE 2010 CIS MENS NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS-MARCH 12-14 TH TOURNAMENT CAPITAL CENTER, KAMLOOPS BC.
WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index http://francais.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index
PERRIN AND TILLIE BECOME FIRSTS FOR TRU WOLFPACK MENS VBALL March 10, 2010
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Gord Perrin was TRU's First All Canadian First Allstar (A. Snucins)
Gord Perrin and Kevin Tillie have gone where no Thompson Rivers University WolfPack athlete has gone before. Perrin was named to the CIS All Canadian First All-Star team while Tillie was named CIS Rookie of the Year. It is the first time in the five year history of the WolfPack being associated with the CIS that an athlete from the program has won the honor.
Perrin (3rd year, outside hitter, Creston, BC) was second in the CIS in kills per set (4.68), third in the CIS in kills (309), second in the nation in total attacks (773) and third in the country in points (342).
“This honor is certainly up there,” said Perrin at the awards ceremony, which took place prior to TRU hosting the 2010 CIS Men’s National Volleyball Championships. “ It is a memorable one for sure. It’s the first time that I’ve made the first all star team.”
He admits that his goal is to get better every year. “ I just try to excel when I’m out there. I think I am more mature. You build a home here in Kamloops and get to know your teammates. I just feel more comfortable.” Perrin agrees that his appointment last summer as a Junior National Team captain was a step in his maturing as a player and as a person.
“Gord Perrin was definitely our MVP for the first half of year,” said WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly. “ I look back at our UBC weekend (where the WolfPack swept). They had beat us twice in the pre season and we beat them 3-0,3-0 to turn our season around. Gord was instrumental in that. The first night he had 19 kills with 0 errors. Whenever we needed a tough kill or a tough point, Gord provided that for us. I’m so proud that Gord is the first ever ‘first team All Canadian.”
Tillie became the first WolfPack to be named CIS Rookie of the Year. This is his second honour in as man y weeks—being named a 2nd team Canada West All star and Canada West Rookie of the Year.
“I think we have a great program here at TRU,” he said. “I have to thank Pat (Hennelly) and my teammates for making me fell so at home here.” Tillie, a first year left side from Cagnes Sur Mer France had 250 kills in 67 sets (seventh best in the CIS). He had the fourth best service aces percentage (0.45) and 129 digs which was 25 th best in the CIS. Tillie also added 30 service aces which was the third best in the country.
“The CIS is just as tough as the league I played in last year,” Tillie said when asked to compare Canadian University Volleyball to that of the French Junior National League. “ Last week in the final four was pretty tough. There are great players who play in Canada.”
“Tillie had a great year,” said Hennelly. “ He got stronger as the year went on. He acclimatized really fast. The first semester he had a 3.6 g.p.a. and really melded with the rest of the team. It is very tough on any young kid to go to a new place. When you change cultures and languages it makes it even harder. He had an incredible performance against the University of Calgary in the regular season and played very well against Pepperdine at our January tournament. “
Perrin, Tillie and the rest of the WolfPack will be back on the court Thursday as they prepare for what will definitely be their toughest challenge of the year: playing two time defending national champion Alberta Golden Bears in the first round of the CIS Nationals. Match time is 6 pm Friday (Mar 12) at the Tournament Capital Center.
TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETICS: PROUD HOSTS OF THE 2010 CIS MENS NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS-MARCH 12-14 TH TOURNAMENT CAPITAL CENTER, KAMLOOPS BC.
WEBSITE: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index http://francais.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index
CIS Men Volleyball Kevin Tillie CIS Rookie of The Year March 10, 2010
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Kevin Tillie of WolfPack Named CIS Player of the Year (A. Snucins)
Paul Sanderson of Brandon was named CIS Outstanding Player (A. Snucins)
March 10, 2010
KAMLOOPS, B.C. (CIS) – Fourth-year Brandon left side hitter Paul Sanderson was named the CIS player of the year in men’s volleyball, Wednesday night.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Sanderson became the first CIS major award winner in the short history of the Bobcats, who joined the league in 2005-06. He is also the 12th consecutive MVP from a team currently competing in the Canada West conference.
Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball
Other award winners announced at the All-Canadian Banquet in Kamloops, B.C. were Thompson Rivers’ Kevin Tillie of Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, who was chosen rookie of the year, UBC’s Blair Bann of Edmonton, named the nation’s top libero for the second time in three years, Laval’s Pascal Clément, who earned coach-of-the-year honours for the third time, as well as Montreal’s Emmanuel André-Morin of Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac, Que., who received the Dale Iwanoczko award recognizing his excellence in volleyball, academics and community involvement.
The 2010 CIS championship gets underway Friday at Thompson Rivers University with the quarter-final match-ups, and concludes Sunday at 6 p.m. Pacific Time with the gold-medal final. SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all main-bracket duels.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Paul Sanderson, Brandon
Sanderson, who played one season at Newman University in the United States before joining the Bobcats in 2007-08, completed his three-year career at Brandon with a third straight selection as an all-Canadian, including back-to-back first-team nods. The 24-year-old helped the ‘Cats claim CIS bronze a year ago in only their fourth campaign in the league.
This season, the 6-foot-5 physical education student led the nation in both kills (5.18) and points (5.9) per set, as well as total kills (368) and points (416.5). He also tied for the Canada West lead with 30 services aces. His stellar play helped the Bobcats remain in the national Top 10 all season and post a 12-6 conference record, good for third place in the ultra-competitive CWUAA.
Sanderson, who represented Australia at the 2003 junior world championship, is a member of the Australian national team and plans to play at the professional level next year.
“Paul was the Bobcats’ most prolific scorer and, in my mind, the most dominant attacker in the Canada West conference this past decade,” said Brandon head coach Russ Paddock.
Dalhousie outside hitter Sander Ratsep of London, Ont., Laval outside Karl De Granpré of Pierreville, Que., and Western Ontario left side Eric Simon, also of London, were the other nominees for CIS MVP.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kevin Tillie, Thompson Rivers
Kevin Tillie
Tillie is the first WolfPack player to receive a national award since Thompson Rivers joined CIS in men’s volleyball in 2005-06.
The 6-foot-5 outside hitter had an immediate impact in his university debut finishing third in Canada West in both kills (3.73) and points (4.4) per set, totals that were good enough for seventh and ninth place in the nation, respectively. The 19-year-old arts student, who came to Thompson Rivers from Lycee Mermoz in his native Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, also tied for the conference lead with 30 service aces as the WolfPack, who host this weekend’s CIS championship, finished with a 10-8 league record. Tillie’s performances earned him a spot on the Canada West second all-star team.
Tillie, who also played basketball for seven years, was part of the gold medal-winning French team at the 2008 junior European championship, and led his club to a second-place finish at the 2007 France national youth championship. His father, Laurent, is a professional volleyball coach and a former player in France, while his mother, Caroline, is a former captain of the Dutch national team. His brother, Kim, plays basketball at the University of Utah in the NCAA.
“I have been pleasantly surprised by Kevin’s play,” said TRU head coach Pat Hennelly. “I knew coming in he would be a good player with his resume. He has responded well to being a student-athlete in Canada with a 3.6 GPA in his first semester and his play has been getting stronger every month. Kevin has fit in very well with the team and has been a pleasure to coach.”
Memorial middle Nathan Tilley of St. John’s, Laval outside Frédéric Mondou of Verchères, Que., and Western middle Phil James of Ottawa were also in the running for top-rookie honours.
LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Blair Bann, UBC
Blair Bann of UBC-Libero of the year
Bann was named the top libero in CIS for the second time in three years, after picking up the award for a third straight campaign at the conference level.
This season, the fourth-year human kinetics student led Canada West with 3.76 digs per set, averaging 1.04 more than the next best player, and 252 total digs, 64 more than his closest rival. Those numbers were good enough to rank him first in the nation in both categories. The 22-year-old, a member of the CIS all-rookie team back in 2006-07, was also recognized for the second consecutive season by the league coaches with a spot on the Canada West second all-star team, an outstanding accomplishment for a libero.
“Blair has been our most consistent performer throughout the entire season, leading our team and conference in passing and digging statistics,” said UBC head coach Richard Schick. “The passion, energy and dedication he brings to the game is an example of what it takes to become and succeed as an elite athlete. The recognition is well deserved and his teammates and I are extremely proud of him.”
Dalhousie’s Travis MacLean of Ottawa, McGill’s Jeff Porter of Toronto and Guelph’s Gabriel DeGroot of Langley, Ont., were the other nominees for libero of the year.
COACH OF THE YEAR, presented by Coaches of Canada: Pascal Clément, Laval
Clément was named CIS coach of the year for the third time (2010, 2001, 1994), ranking him third on the all-time list behind Alberta’s Terry Danyluk and Manitoba’s Garth Pischke, who have both been honoured on five occasions. Now in his 18th campaign at the helm of the Rouge et Or, the native of the French archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is a 15-time QSSF coach of the year.
This season, the Rouge et Or posted a perfect conference record (18-0) for the second straight year, part of a stellar 27-2 overall record against CIS opponents. The Quebec City powerhouse, which swept Montreal 3-0 and 3-0 in the best-of-three QSSF final, topped the last eight national coaches’ polls of the campaign, after opening at No. 3. Laval is seeded first going into this week’s CIS championship, a year after reaching the national final for the first time in seven seasons.
Clément has guided the Rouge et Or to the QSSF final in each of his 18 seasons at the helm, claiming 15 Quebec titles. He led his troops to a CIS title in his second campaign in 1993-94 and has since added four CIS silver medals and one bronze.
Clément has been involved with the national team program for a number of years. He led Canada to fifth place at the 1999 junior world championship and was head coach of the Canadian entry at the Summer Universiade in 2001 (China) and 1999 (Spain). Prior to joining Laval, he was a two-time Canadian college coach of the year with Limoilou College.
Dalhousie’s Dan Ota, Windsor’s Huub Kemmere and Brandon’s Russ Paddock were also up for CIS coach-of-the-year honours.
DALE IWANOCZKO AWARD (outstanding student-athlete – community service): Emmanuel André-Morin, Montreal
Emmanual Andre-Morin-Dale Iwanoczko Award
André-Morin became the first Montreal recipient of the Dale Iwanoczko award.
On the court, the 6-foot-3 power hitter was named a second-team all-Canadian in 2009-2010, marking his fourth CIS all-star selection in as many seasons with the Carabins, including a pair of first-team nods. The CIS rookie of the year in 2006-07 and a two-time QSSF MVP, the 22-year-old team captain finished fourth in the nation with 4.11 kills per set this year as he led Montreal to the Quebec final and an appearance at the CIS championship.
In the classroom, André-Morin graduated in public accounting a year ago with a remarkable 4.1 grade point average (out of a possible 4.3). Honoured as a CIS Top 8 Academic All-Canadian for 2008-09, he is currently completing a DESS (masters) in public accounting.
In the community, André-Morin has been mostly involved with two organizations over the last two years. Through the University’s SEUR Project, he accompanies a student during his last year of high school, emphasizing on the importance of a good education. He also volunteers with La Clinique d’impôts, an organization that allows students from UdeM to gain experience by filling tax return statements for low-income residents of Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges district.
“Emmanuel is what every student-athlete should aspire to be,” said Carabins head coach Georges Laplante. “He excels in every aspects of his life and is a role model for everyone who knows him, including myself. It is amazing to see how well organized he is and you can always count on him. If every athlete were like him, coaching would be very easy”.
UNB’s Jacob Kilpatrick of Saint John and Waterloo’s Aaron Dam of Grimsby, Ont., were also finalists for the Dale Iwanoczko award.
ALL-CANADIAN TEAMS
The all-Canadian teams were also announced on Wednesday.
Joining Sanderson on the first unit were conference most valuable players Ratsep (AUS), De Granpré (QSSF) and Simon (OUA West), as well as Laval outside Frédéric Desbiens of La Malbaie, Que., Winnipeg middle Justin Duff of Winnipeg, and Thompson Rivers left side Gord Perrin of Creston, B.C.
Ratsep is the only returning member from last year’s first squad. Simon was a second-team all-Canadian a year ago, while De Granpré was the CIS rookie of the year in 2007-08.
In addition to André-Morin, the second dream team for 2009-10 is comprised of Dalhousie middle Max Burt of Gander, Nfld., Alberta left side Thomas Jarmoc of Calgary, Toronto left side Steven Kung of Toronto, McMaster outside Jeremy Groenveld of Welland, Ont., Calgary middle Oleg Podporin of Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Queen’s outside Joren Zeeman of Cambridge, Ont.
Burt, Groenveld and Zeeman all return from last year’s second squad, while Kung wrapped up his university career with a third straight all-Canadian selection following a first-team nod last season and a spot on the second unit in 2007-08.
Joining Tillie, Tilley, Mondou and James on this season’s CIS all-rookie team were Saskatchewan right side Matt Busse of Outlook, Sask., Waterloo outside Alexander Poldma of Toronto, as well as Winnipeg opposite Matthew Schriemer of Winnipeg.
2009-2010 CIS MEN’S VOLLEYBALL AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS
Player of the year: Paul Sanderson, Brandon
Rookie of the year: Kevin Tillie, Thompson Rivers
Libero of the year: Blair Bann, UBC
Coach of the year, presented by Coaches of Canada: Pascal Clément, Laval
Dale Iwanoczko Award (outstanding student-athlete – community service): Emmanuel André-Morin, Montreal
First Team
Position Athlete University Year Hometown Faculty
Outside Karl De Granpré Laval 3 Pierreville, Que. Statistics
Outside Frédéric Desbiens Laval 4 La Malbaie, Que. Physical Education
Middle Justin Duff Winnipeg 4 Winnipeg, Man. Education
Left Side Gord Perrin Thompson Rivers 3 Creston, B.C. Arts
Outside Sander Ratsep Dalhousie 4 London, Ont. Economics
Left Side Paul Sanderson Brandon 4 Melbourne, Australia BPES
Left Side Eric Simon Western 5 London, Ont. Engineering
Second Team
Outside Emmanuel André-Morin Montreal 4 Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac, Que. Accounting
Middle Max Burt Dalbousie 4 Gander, Nfld. Kinesiology
Left Side Thomas Jarmoc Alberta 5 Calgary, Alta. Physical Education & Recreation
Left Side Steven Kung Toronto 5 Toronto, Ont. OISE
Outside Jeremy Groenveld McMaster 4 Welland, Ont. Geography
Middle Oleg Podporin Calgary 5 Almaty, KZ Social Sciences
Outside Joren Zeeman Queen’s 3 Cambridge, Ont. Physical and Health Education
All-Rookie Team
Right Side Matt Busse Saskatchewan 1 Outlook, Sask. Kinesiology
Middle Phil James Western 1 Ottawa, Ont. Arts
Outside Frédéric Mondou Laval 1 Verchères, Que. Open Studies
Outside Alexander Poldma Waterloo 1 Toronto, Ont. Mechanical Engineering
Opposite Matthew Schriemer Winnipeg 1 Winnipeg, Man. Arts
Middle Nathan Tilley Memorial 1 St. John’s, Nfld. Engineering
Left Side Kevin Tillie Thompson Rivers 1 Cagnes-sur-Mer, France Arts
Pascal Clement-Coach of the Year
2010 CIS men’s volleyball championship: Laval Hopes To End West Domination March 9, 2010
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(A. Snucins)
OTTAWA (CIS) – A year ago, the Laval Rouge et Or became the first team from outside the Canada West conference to reach the CIS men’s volleyball gold-medal final since 2001. This week in Kamloops, B.C., they hope to take it a step further and become the first non-Canada West school since 1994 to capture the Tantramar trophy.
The 2010 CIS championship, an eight-team tournament, gets underway Friday at Thompson Rivers University with the quarter-final round and concludes on Sunday with the gold-medal match scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific.
All main-bracket matches from the competition (including the bronze-medal game) will be webcast live on SSN Canada.
Joining Quebec conference champion and top-seeded Laval in Kamloops will be the No. 2 Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West champions and reigning two-time CIS champs), plus No. 3 Dalhousie Tigers (AUS champions), No. 4 Trinity Western Spartans (Canada West finalists), No. 5 Queen’s Gaels (OUA champions), No. 6 Calgary Dinos (Canada West bronze medallists), No. 7 Thompson Rivers WolfPack (championship host), and No. 8 Montreal Carabins (QSSF finalists).
Laval, Alberta and Dalhousie are all annual fixtures at the CIS tourney.
The Rouge et Or, who have won three CIS titles, are making their 27th appearance in 29 years.
The Bears, winners of six national banners, will be in the hunt for the 17th time in 18 years. They have reached a mind-boggling eight straight national finals, winning three of them, including a straight-set domination of Laval a year ago in Edmonton.
While they are still looking for an elusive first Tantramar trophy triumph, the Tigers will extend their record streak to 31 straight CIS championship appearances.
Trinity Western, which has medalled in each of its four previous trips to the Nationals and captured its lone title in 2006, returns to the big dance after a two-year absence.
Queen’s is also back following a two-year hiatus, while three-time CIS champion Calgary hasn’t competed on the national stage since 2003, when they posted a fourth-place finish.
Thompson Rivers is making their third appearance since joining CIS five years ago. The WolfPack previously claimed bronze in 2008.
The Montreal Carabins are back for the first time since 2008 and are 0-6 in three appearances since reaching the national final in 1993.
Seeded No. 1 for the first time since 2000 – when they finished a disappointing seventh in front of a large home crowd in Quebec City – the Rouge et Or know they’re going against the odds in Kamloops.
Since Laval claimed their third and last CIS title in 1994 – as the No. 1 seed – teams from western Canada have won 14 straight banners. In fact, the Rouge et Or’s three titles (1994, 1992, 1990) are the only ones that have eluded Canada West schools since Sherbrooke was crowned in 1975.
The Quebec champs seem more ready than ever to tackle the challenge, however, as they return 10 players from last year’s silver-medal squad. Leading the way is conference MVP and former CIS rookie of the year Karl De Granpré of Pierreville, Que., a third-year power hitter who was fifth in the country in both kills (4.07) and points (4.8) per set.
The Rouge et Or, who led the last eight Top 10 polls of the campaign, go into the championship sporting an impressive 27-2 overall mark against CIS opposition, including a second straight 18-0 regular season in Quebec.
The main obstacle on Laval’s road to CIS glory might once again be second-seeded Alberta, whom the Rouge et Or can only meet in the final as the Golden Bears are on the other side of the draw.
The current edition of the Bears weren’t as dominant as the 2008-09 team that won its last 28 duels over CIS opponents en route to the sixth title in program history. The biggest loss from the 2009 championship squad was without a doubt Joel Schmuland, who was named both CIS player of the year and CIS tournament MVP last season.
But Alberta still managed to win 22 of 26 matches overall against CIS rivals this season, including a thrilling five-setter over Trinity Western in the Canada West final, and now finds itself in a position to become only the second team in history to claim three consecutive CIS championships.
Winnipeg racked up four straight CIS gold medals from 1971 to 1974.
“It was good to play a tough match,” said five-time CIS coach of the year Terry Danyluk following his team’s win in the conference final. “We were up 2-0, and Trinity pushed us, and I think we needed to be pushed before we go to the championship. If we had breezed through, who knows how we would have been playing at Nationals. We know now that teams have got what it takes to beat us if we’re not careful.
“These are two of the teams that could win the whole thing, right? That’s about as good as it’s going to get.”
Friday’s opening round will see Laval kick off the championship against Quebec rival Montreal at 1 p.m. Pacific, followed by Trinity Western battling Queen’s at 3 p.m.
Alberta begins its title defence versus conference foe and tournament host Thompson Rivers at 6 p.m., and Dalhousie goes up against Calgary in the 8 p.m. nightcap.
Laval has won all five head-to-head confrontations this season against Montreal, including a pair of 3-0 sweeps in the best-of-three QSSF final. The last time the Quebec rivals met on the main side of the draw at the CIS tourney was in the 1992 semifinals, with the Rouge et Or prevailing in straight sets en route to the national title.
Alberta and Thompson Rivers are also familiar opponents. The Bears took all three duels this year, including a 3-1 victory in the semifinal round of the Canada West Final Four. The two teams have met once at the Nationals since the WolfPack joined the league five years ago, with Alberta dominating in three sets in the 2008 semis on its way to claiming CIS gold.
Although they compete on opposite sides of the country, Dalhousie and Calgary met once this season on the same court where the CIS championship will be played. The Tigers prevailed 3-1 on Jan. 2 at the Thompson Rivers Invitational. Calgary and Dalhousie squared off for the last time on the national stage in the opening round of the 1999 tournament, with the Dinos prevailing in five.
Trinity Western and Queen’s will be the only first-round opponents to face-off for the first time this year. The Spartans won 3-0 in the only previous CIS championship matchup between the two programs, in the 2006 quarter-finals, en route to their lone CIS national title.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
No. 1 Laval Rouge et Or
Head Coach: Pascal Clément (18th season)
Regular season record: 18-0
Regular season standing: 1st QSSF
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: QSSF champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 1 (8 weeks: last 8 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Karl De Granpré (MVP), Frédéric Mondou (rookie), Pascal Clément (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Karl De Granpré, Frédéric Desbiens, Justin Boudreault
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Jonathan Marcoux, Simon Fecteau-Boutin
CIS championship best result: 3-time champions (1994, 1992, 1990)
CIS championship last appearance: 2009 (finalists)
CIS championship sequence: 13th straight appearance (27th in 29 years)
No. 2 Alberta Golden Bears
Head Coach: Terry Danyluk (17th season)
Regular season record: 14-4
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): No. 3
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 1 (3 weeks: first 3 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Thomas Jarmoc
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Mike DeRocco
CIS championship best result: 6-time champions (2009, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1997, 1981)
CIS championship last appearance: 2009 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: 10th straight appearance (17th in 18 years & played in last 8 finals)
No. 3 Dalhousie Tigers
Head Coach: Dan Ota (11th season)
Regular season record: 16-2
Regular season standing: 1st AUS
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 2 (4 weeks: last 4 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: Sander Ratsep (MVP), Travis MacLean (libero), Dan Ota (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Sander Ratsep, Max Burt, Devon Parkinson, Erik Montgomery
Conference 2nd team all-stars: No second team in AUS
CIS championship best result: Finalists (1997)
CIS championship last appearance: 2009 (5th place)
CIS championship sequence: 31st straight appearance
No. 4 Trinity Western Spartans
Head Coach: Ben Josephson (3rd season)
Regular season record: 11-7
Regular season standing: 4th Canada West
Playoff record: 3-2
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): No. 7
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 5 (1 week: 9th poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Steven Marshall
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Josh Doornenbal
CIS championship best result: 1-time champions (2006)
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (bronze)
CIS championship sequence: Return after 2-year absence (4th appearance in 6 years)
No. 5 Queen’s Gaels
Head Coach: Brenda Willis (23rd season)
Regular season record: 16-4
Regular season standing: 2nd OUA
Playoff record: 3-0
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): Unranked
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): Unranked all season
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 0
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Michael Amoroso, Joren Zeeman
Conference 2nd team all-stars: None
CIS championship best result: 5th place (2006)
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (Tied for 7th)
CIS championship sequence: Return after 2-year absence (3rd appearance in 5 years)
No. 6 Calgary Dinos
Head Coach: Rod Durrant (4th season)
Regular season record: 13-5
Regular season standing: 2nd Canada West
Playoff record: 3-1
Playoff finish: Canada West bronze medallists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): No. 4
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 1 (1 week: 6th poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 14
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Oleg Podporin
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Ciaran McGovern
CIS championship best result: 3-time champions (1993, 1989, 1982)
CIS championship last appearance: 2003 (4th)
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance in 7 years
No. 7 Thompson Rivers WolfPack
Head Coach: Pat Hennelly (5th season)
Regular season record: 10-8
Regular season standing: 6th Canada West
Playoff record: 2-3
Playoff finish: 4th Canada West
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): No. 9
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): No. 6 (3 weeks: polls 10-12)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 7
Conference award winners: Kevin Tillie (rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Gord Perrin
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Kevin Tillie
CIS championship best result: Bronze medallists (2008)
CIS championship last appearance: 2009 (6th)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd straight appearance (3rd in history – 5th year in CIS)
No. 8 Montreal Carabins
Head Coach: Georges Laplante (16th season)
Regular season record: 9-9
Regular season standing: 2nd QSSF
Playoff record: 2-2
Playoff finish: QSSF finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 23): Unranked
Best Top 10 ranking (14 weeks): Unranked all season
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 weeks): 0
Conference award winners: Emmanuel André-Morin (Dale Iwanoczko award nominee)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Emmanuel André-Morin, Andy Oshima
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Maxim Morin
CIS championship best result: 1-time champions (1970)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (tied for 7th)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd appearance in 3 years
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Pacific Time)
Wednesday, March 10
18:00 All-Canadian Banquet (TRU Grand Hall)
Friday, March 12
Session 1
13:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 1 Laval vs. No. 8 Montreal (SSN Canada)
15:00 Quarter-final #2: No. 4 Trinity Western vs. No. 5 Queen’s (SSN Canada)
Session 2
18:00 Quarter-final #3: No. 2 Alberta vs. No. 7 Thompson Rivers (SSN Canada)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: No. 3 Dalhousie vs. No. 6 Calgary (SSN Canada)
Saturday, March 13
Session 3
13:00 Consolation #1: Loser QF #1 vs. Loser QF #2
15:00 Consolation #2: Loser QF #3 vs. Loser QF #4
Session 4
18:00 Semi-final #1: Winner QF #1 vs. Winner QF #2 (SSN Canada)
20:00 Semi-final #2: Winner QF #3 vs. Winner QF #4 (SSN Canada)
Sunday, March 14
13:00 5th place
15:00 Bronze medal (SSN Canada)
18:00 Championship final (SSN Canada)
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit
-CIS-
For more information contact:
Michel Bélanger
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
Larry Read
Sports Information Officer
Thompson Rivers University
Ph: (250) 377-6117
Cell: (250) 819-5255
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\TEMP\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\mbelanger\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\thuisman\Local%20Settings\BLG%20Awards%202005\www.universitysport.ca>
SEEDINGS AND OPENING ROUND MATCHUPS SET FOR CIS MVB March 8, 2010
Posted by lread in Men's Volleyball.add a comment
- (A. Snucins photo)
Laval seeded No. 1 for first time in 10 years
March 7, 2010
OTTAWA (CIS) – A year after reaching the national final for the first time in seven seasons, the Laval Rouge et Or are heading into the CIS men’s volleyball championship as tournament favourites for the first time in a decade.
The seedings were announced Sunday evening for the 2010 CIS tourney set to kick off Friday at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. The gold-medal final of the eight-team competition is scheduled for next Sunday at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all main-bracket duels, including the bronze-medal match.
Rounding out the seedings are the No. 2 and reigning two-time CIS champion Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West champions), No. 3 Dalhousie Tigers (AUS champions), No. 4 Trinity Western Spartans (Canada West finalists), No. 5 Queen’s Gaels (OUA champions), No. 6 Calgary Dinos (Canada West bronze medallists), No. 7 Thompson Rivers WolfPack (championship hosts), and No. 8 Montreal Carabins (QSSF finalists).
Top-ranked Laval takes the court against Quebec rival Montreal Friday at 1 p.m. Pacific Time in the tournament opener, while Alberta begins its title defence versus Canada West foe Thompson Rivers in the third quarter-final duel, at 6 p.m.
The other first-round match-ups pit Trinity Western against Queen’s at 3 p.m., and Dalhousie against Calgary at 8 p.m.
The QSSF champion Rouge et Or, who posted an impressive 27-2 overall mark against CIS opposition this season including a two-game sweep of Montreal in the best-of-three Quebec final, would rather forget the last time they were seeded No. 1 for the CIS tournament. Back in 2000, they were upset in the first round by Dalhousie in front of their home crowd in Quebec City, en route to finishing in a tie for seventh place.
Laval’s third and last CIS title did come as the No. 1 seed however, back in 1994. Since then, teams currently competing in the Canada West conference (including teams absorbed from the defunct Great Plains conference) have captured 14 straight banners.
The CIS all-Canadians and major award winners will be unveiled at a banquet on Wednesday evening.
SEEDINGS
1. Laval Rouge et Or (QSSF champions: 18-0 regular season / 2-0 playoffs)
2. Alberta Golden Bears (CWUAA champions: 14-4 regular season / 2-0 plyoffs)
3. Dalhousie Tigers (AUS champions: 16-2 regular season / 2-0 playoffs)
4. Trinity Western Spartans (CWUAA finalists: 11-7 regular season / 3-2 playoffs)
5. Queen’s Gaels (OUA champions: 16-4 regular season / 3-0 playoffs)
6. Calgary Dinos (CWUAA bronze medallists: 13-5 regular season / 3-1 playoffs)
7. Thompson Rivers WolfPack (Hosts: 10-8 regular season / 2-3 playoffs)
8. Montreal Carabins (QSSF finalists: 9-9 regular season / 2-2 playoffs)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Pacific Time)
Wednesday, March 10
18:00 All-Canadian Banquet (TRU Grand Hall)
Friday, March 12
13:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 1 Laval vs. No. 8 Montreal (SSN Canada)
15:00 Quarter-final #2: No. 4 Trinity Western vs. No. 5 Queen’s (SSN Canada)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: No. 2 Alberta vs. No. 7 Thompson Rivers (SSN Canada)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: No. 3 Dalhousie vs. No. 6 Calgary (SSN Canada)
Saturday, March 13
13:00 Consolation #1: Loser QF #1 vs. Loser QF #2
15:00 Consolation #2: Loser QF #3 vs. Loser QF #4
18:00 Semi-final #1: Winner QF #1 vs. Winner QF #2 (SSN Canada)
20:00 Semi-final #2: Winner QF #3 vs. Winner QF #4 (SSN Canada)
Sunday, March 14
13:00 5th place
15:00 Bronze medal (SSN Canada)
18:00 Championship final (SSN Canada)
http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball <http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball>