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
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)
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
http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball <http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball> www.cis-sic.ca <http://www.cis-sic.ca> .belanger@universitysport.ca
www.cis-sic.ca
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> lread@tru.ca
SEEDINGS AND OPENING ROUND MATCHUPS SET FOR CIS MVB March 8, 2010
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- (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>
WOLFPACK MVB FOURTH IN CANADA WEST March 8, 2010
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(A. Snucins photo)
The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack will go into the 2010 CIS National Men’s Volleyball Championship as the number four seed from the Canada West.
For the first time in three years, the ‘Pack lost in the Canada West Bronze Medal match. Thompson Rivers came out on the short end of a 3-0 decision to the University of Calgary Dinos. The match, played Sunday (Mar 7) at the University of Alberta saw the Dinos win 27-25, 25-19,25-22.
“We played very up and down,” said TRU head coach Pat Hennelly, who returned to the bench after a one game suspension. “ We came back in the first set and lost by two. That seemed to deflate the guys. We couldn’t seem to generate any momentum.”
Henelly felt Robin Schoebel (4th year, outside hitter, Monaco) played well while Canada West Rookie of the Year Kevin Tillie (1st year, left side, Cagnes Sur Mer, France) came on at the end. Tillie had 10 kills. Schoebel chipped in with nine kills. Their attack average of .276.
“As a team, we need to regroup from a tough weekend and be ready to play in front of our home crowd on Friday (Mar 12).”
“We talked about having a tough game,” Hennelly added “Between us and Calgary we are looking at Dalhousie and Laval as potential first round CIS Matchups Those are two tough teams regardless. I don’t know who were are going to get, but we know it is going to be tough. We know we are going to face someone in the top end of the bracket.”
Dinos coach Rod Durrant told the University of Alberta Sports Information department that while he thought his team played well, they needed to work on sustaining that effort for an entire match. His club hit .350 in the match. Don MacNeill (5th year, Grande Prairie, Alta) had 13 kills.
(with assistance from the Alberta Golden Bear Sports Information Department)
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
WOLFPACK FALL TO GOLDEN BEARS: WILL PLAY FOR CW BRONZE March 7, 2010
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Kevin Tillie and Behlul Yavasgel (A. Snucins photo)
For the third year in a row, the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack will play for the bronze medal at the Canada West Men’s Volleyball final four. The WolfPack will meet the University of Calgary Dinos in the bronze medal match Sunday (March 7) after both teams lost their Canada West semi finals.
The WolfPack fell 3-1 to the host Alberta Golden Bears. The scores were 25-18,23-25,25-17,25-20. The Dinos were on the short end of a 3-2 decision to the Trinity Western Spartans. The scores were 22-25,29-27,25-20,17-25,15-9.
The WolfPack played without head coach Pat Hennelly who was sitting out a one game suspension. Assistant Chad Grimm ran the bench and was quick to point out that despite having a guaranteed spot in next week’s CIS Nationals, the ‘Pack didn’t want to take the easy way in.
“I think we’ve done a good job of not thinking that we’ve had our ticket booked to Nationals,” said Grimm to the Alberta Sports Information Department. “We know we want to be playing well going into Nationals. Obviously this is a seeded tournament, so if we win tomorrow (Mar 7), we’ll get a better match up in the first round.”
The WolfPack committed 27 attack errors and finished with an attack percentage of .153. Alberta, playing for the first time in nearly a month had a .332 attack per centage.
TRU was led by Canada West Rookie of the Year Kevin Tillie (1st year, left side, Cagnes Sur Mer, France). He had 16 kills, two aces and three blocks, two of them solo.
The Dinos and ‘Pack will play at noon MDT on Sunday. The Bears and Spartans will play for gold at 2 pm MDT.
TRU hosts the CIS Nationals beginning Friday March 12 th at the Tournament Capital Center.
SIDE OUTS: Earlier this season, Calgary beat TRU twice: both matches at the TCC. On November 13, 2009 the Dinos won 3-0 (scores 25-22,25-23,26, 24). The next night, the teams went five sets with Calgary prevailing (25-14,18-25,27-25,21-25,19-21).
Hennelly will be back coaching TRU on Sunday.
(with assistance from the Alberta Golden Bear Sports Information Department)
TRU WOLFPACK ATHLETICS: PROUD HOSTS OF THE 2010 CIS MEN 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
TEAMS SET FOR 2010 CIS MENS VB NATIONALS March 7, 2010
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(A. Snucins photo)
The table is set, all that’s needed is the match up’s for the 2010 CIS Men’s National Volleyball Championships set for next week at the Tournament Capital Center in Kamloops.
The Queen’s Gails of Ontario became the last team to qualify for the championships (which begin Friday March 12). Queen’s downed Guelph 3-2 in the Ontario University Association Final Saturday night (Mar 6). The scores were 25-22,17-25,17-25,25-22,15-13.
Joren Zeewan led the way for Queen’s with 19 kills in 39 chances. Brian Fautley had 11 kills with Niko Rukavina adding 10kills. Alex Oneid had 11 digs.
Queen’s joins Dalhousie of the AUS, Laval Rouge et Or and Montreal Carbins of Quebec, Alberta Golden Bears, Calgary Dinos, Trinity Western Spartans and the host Thompson Rivers University WolfPack as the teams competing in the 2010 event.
Teams arrive in Kamloops on Wednesday (March 10) for the CIS All-Canadian and All-Star Banquet which will be held at the CAC Grand Hall.
They will practice on the Thursday (March 11) before action begins on Friday. A CIS Conference call is being held Sunday (March 7) to determine the seedings and match ups for the first round.
Plenty of tickets are on sale for next weeks event.
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