Consolation #1 50th CIS men’s volleyball championship presented by Leggat Auto Group: Laval edges Ryerson to play for fifth after marathon match

Photo credit Alistair Boulby

HAMILTON (CIS) – After suffering a tough loss on Friday, the Laval Rouge et Or rebounded by outlasting the Ryerson Rams in five sets to advance to the fifth-place game at the 50th CIS Men's Volleyball Championship presented by Leggat Auto Group.

Laval will play the winner of the second consolation semifinal game between Waterloo and UNB. The fifth-place game is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00pm (EST).

Vicente Parraguirre Villalobos of Santiago, Chile led the Rouge et Or with 23 kills and three service aces for a total of 26 points in the win. He also registered 10 digs with teammate Vincent Thibault-Bernier recording 13 as a defensive specialist.

Lucas Coleman of Brooklin, Ont., was the top player for the for the Rams with 28 points and a game high 27 kills.

Laval, the RESQ champion, lost in straight sets to Alberta yesterday in the quarter-finals, but Rouge et Or head coach Pascal Clement was happy with how his team rebounded 24 hours after the loss.

"I think I can say that I recognize my team more so today than I did yesterday, for sure," said Clement. "We played with more intensity and more aggressiveness, even though it's a tough match after a loss like yesterday."

"Both teams went through tough times with passing and lost their concentration, but I think we were a little bit more consistent, and our biggest weapons were the best and they have to be."

It was a marathon match that lasted two hours and 11 minutes, with the teams trading the first four sets (22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17) and Laval squeezing out the final set 16-14.

In the final set, Laval had a 10-5 advantage at the media timeout which they extended to 12-8 before the Rams rallied with their season on the line to tie the game at 14-14. Laval took the final two points to wrap the game.

"We stayed tough, even in the fifth set, said Ryerson's head coach Dustin Reid. "We came back and had a chance to win. Ultimately, Laval won a few more points at the end than we did."

"That's what I'm most proud of with this team, is how we stuck together. That in our toughest moments, we haven't freaked out or lashed out at each other. We stayed together."

STAT LEADERS

Laval Rouge et Or
Kills: Vicente Parraguirre Villalobos (23), Olivier Jannini (16)
Points: Vicente Parraguirre Villalobos (26), Olivier Jannini (18.5)
Blocks: Laurent Mailhot (5), Olivier Jannini (3)
Digs: Vincent Thibault Bernier (13), Vicente Parraguirre Villalobos (10)
Service aces: Vicente Parraguirre Villalobos (3), Bruno Lortie (2)

Player of the match: Vicente Parraguirre Villalobos

Ryerson Rams
Kills: Lucas Coleman (17), Robert Wojcik (11)
Points: Lucas Coleman (28), Robert Wojcik (13.5)
Blocks: Marc Reardon (9), Adam Anagnostopolous (4)
Digs: Will Otten (9), Adam Anagnostopolous (7)
Service aces: Adam Anagnostopolous (2),

Player of the match: Lucas Coleman

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Thursday, March 10
13:00 Quarter-final #1: Trinity Western 3, Ryerson 1 (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 26-24)
15:00 Quarter-final #2: Alberta 3, Laval 0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-19)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: Saskatchewan 3, UNB 2 (23-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-20, 15-10)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: McMaster 3, Waterloo 0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-18)

Friday, March 11
13:00 Consolation #1: Laval 3, Ryerson 2 (22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17 16-14)
15:00 Consolation #2: UNB vs. Waterloo (Cable 14 & www.CIS-SIC.tv)
18:00 Semifinal #1: Trinity Western vs. Alberta (Cable 14 & www.CIS-SIC.tv)
20:00 Semifinal #2: Saskatchewan vs. McMaster (Cable 14 & www.CIS-SIC.tv)

Saturday, March 12
13:00 5th place: Laval vs. Loser ConSF#2 (Cable 14 & www.CIS-SIC.tv)
15:00 Bronze medal (Cable 14 & www.CIS-SIC.tv)
18:00 Championship final (Cable 14 & www.CIS-SIC.tv) *

* Tape delayed to 22:00 on Cable 14.