CIS men's volleyball Saturday roundup

Source: Regina Sports Info

The No. 10-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies completed the weekend sweep over the Regina Cougars with a 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 win on Saturday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport on the U of R campus.

 Saskatchewan never trailed in any of the three sets and led almost the entire way, with the only exceptions coming on a brief 1-1 tie in the first and a 4-4 draw in the second. The Huskies hit .361 as a team over the course of the match, including .609 in their 25-15 second-set victory alone.

 Jordan Nowakowski led Saskatchewan (11-7) in kills, finishing with a match-high 15 to go along with six digs. Paul Thomson added 11 kills while hitting .529 for the Huskies, while setter Zak Rempel finished with 33 assists, three kills, three digs, and three blocks. Tyler Epp led all players at the net, finishing with a solo stuff and five assisted blocks.

 Fourth-year libero Jacques Borgeaud was all over the court for the Cougars, finishing with 18 digs to break the school's three-set single-match record of 16 set by Lindsey Isaak back in 2011. Andre Borgeaud finished with a team-leading seven kills, while Michael Corrigan got the start at setter and finished with 24 assists.

 The Cougars (1-17) will be back in action next weekend at Alberta, while Saskatchewan will prepare for two home matches against Manitoba in what could prove to be a pivotal series in the Canada West postseason race.

Photo credit Brandon Sports Info

BRANDON – The Brandon Bobcats picked up their second straight five-set win against the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday night, earning them a weekend sweep 3-2 (27-29, 25-28, 25-20, 22-25, 15-13).

The two teams picked up right where they left off Friday. After going the distance less than 24 hours ago in a five-set thriller, the Bobcats and Thunderbirds battled to a 29-27 first set that went in UBC's favour.

The T-Birds jumped to an early 5-1 set in the second set, but Brandon answered back with seven straight points and didn't look back by taking the frame 25-18.

The third set was another battle in which the two sides went toe-to-toe before Brandon went on a 6-2 run to end the set 25-20. The fourth frame was started by a 7-2 UBC run, and the Bobcats were unable to catch up with T-Birds taking the set 25-22.

Both the Bobcats and the Thunderbirds battled in the fifth set, but the Bobcats wouldn't let up, winning the set and the match 15-13. Fifth-year Brendan White teamed up with David Stastica for a block that clinched the BU win.

Sebastien Steigmeier earned a double-double for the Bobcats with 26 kills and 12 digs. He also notched a match-high five services aces.

Sam Tuivai added 17 kills, seven digs, and three services aces.

Roy Ching also had a double-double for the 'Cats with 14 kills on 30 swings (good for a .433 attack percentage) and 10 digs in tonight's contest. 

Ben Chow led the T-Birds with 15 kills and 10 digs. Mac McNicol added 14 kills and five digs.

Bobcat head coach Grant Wilson was impressed with how his team played throughout the evening.

"I thought we had some ups and downs and highs and lows, but we found a way to stabilize things, even when things weren't going our way. Our guys didn't waver or lose confidence and we found a way to win in the end. This weekend fortunately things went our way and hopefully we can carry that through into the next couple of matches," says Wilson.

Despite the tough matchup, Wilson is grateful for the experience that this weekend brought for his team.

"We know everything down the stretch is going to be tough. UBC is one of the best teams in the country and we have Alberta and Winnipeg right around the corner, so we need to be in these kinds of matches and find ways to succeed in these kinds of matches," Wilson added.

The win brings the Bobcat record to 14-4, while the Thunderbirds fall to 10-8.

Next Wednesday, the Bobcats will travel to Winnipeg to take on the Wesmen for the first match of a rare home-and-home series. On Friday, the Thunderbirds will face the Trinity Western Spartans at home.

Source: Danielle Doiron, Manitoba Sports Info

WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Manitoba Bisons men's volleyball team took down Canada's top team, the University of Alberta Golden Bears, in a hard-fought 3-1 victory on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Investors Group Athletic Centre

The game marks Alberta's second loss of the season after a five-set victory against the Bisons Friday night. The Golden Bears have clinched a playoff spot and now sit at 16-2, while the win brings Manitoba to 10-8.

Ryley Barnes led both teams with 18 kills for the Golden Bears. His teammate Reed May put up 17 digs, while Bison Devren Dear led the home side with 11 kills.

The teams went back and forth for the opening points of the match, until Manitoba broke the 6-6 tie off a Golden Panda attack error. From there, the Bisons took off, dominating rest of the set with strong kills from team captain Adam DeJonckheere and solid digs from libero Alex Strachan to take the 25-17 victory.

The Bisons started the second the same way they finished the first – by scoring five straight points. The Golden Bears managed to break Manitoba's serve to earn their first point of the set, but couldn't hold back the strong Bison offense. The home side scored four more in a row to take the eight-point lead they rode to win the set 25-17.

Alberta played a completely different game in the third.  The Golden Bears opened the set with powerful kills from left side Barnes to take an early 8-3 lead and force Manitoba to call a timeout. But the stop in play couldn't break Alberta's stride. Ryan Nickifor put up four strong kills to keep the Golden Bears in the game with a 25-15 set win.

Manitoba fought back in the fourth, putting up strong offense to lead 16-12 heading into the technical timeout. The Golden Bears retaliated, holding off three Manitoba match point attempts before the Bisons claimed the 25-21 set victory and 3-1 game win.

The Bisons play next on the road against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. CST. The Golden Bears are back home next week to take on the University of Regina Cougars on Friday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. MST.

Source: Calgary Sports Info

CALGARY - A very tight five-set game saw the Dinos take their second straight victory over the No. 4 Winnipeg Wesmen on January 17 at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.

The Dinos finish the weekend with a record of 8-12 as the Wesmen fall to 12-6.

Keith West had a huge game for the Dinos, recording a game high of 19 kills. Brendan Visser also had a strong performance with 11 kills, as did Connor Frehlich who put up 10 kills and six digs. Jackson Maris had a game high of 51 assists along with nine digs.

The Wesmen, who were without head coach Larry McKay due to his actions from the night before and fifth year power hitter Thomas Douglas-Powell who left the previous game with an ankle injury, were led by Taylor Howe's 14 kills and eight digs. Brendan Thielmann and Brendan Black both hit double digits in kills with 12 and 10 respectively.

The first set was led by Winnipeg early on, as Calgary was forced to use a timeout down 12-7. The Dinos slowly worked their way back into it as they eventually took their first lead of the set at 20-19. The two teams were tied up to 22 before Calgary pulled away, taking the first set by a score of 25-23.

The two teams exchanged points to start the second set until the Wesmen took a slight advantage midway through the frame at 16-13. The Dinos managed to tie it up with a three point serving run from Frehlich and they remained close through the rest of the set, but Winnipeg won the battle 25-23 to tie the game.

The third set was dominated by the Dinos who came out to an early 10-6 lead. The Wesmen pulled to within one at 11-10, but Calgary played some good defence to give themselves a comfortable five point lead. Despite a comeback effort from the Wesmen, the Dinos closed out the set at 25-17.

Winnipeg answered back in the fourth set, taking a 6-3 lead, but a big kill from West followed by a block from Sean Martin brought Calgary back within one. The Dinos kept it close through the middle of the set, but they struggled to maintain consistent offence and were unable to take the lead from the Wesmen. Winnipeg sustained their advantage and took the set 25-20, forcing a fifth set to break the tie.

Two big kills right off the bat from Frehlich and Visser put the Dinos up 2-0. The Wesmen battled back with a four point run, which Calgary responded to with a four point run of their own to regain the lead 6-4. The two teams were tied up at 8 when a three point serving run from Sean Tuff put Calgary ahead by a score of 11-8. The Wesmen were unable to recover, as the Dinos won the set 15-11.

The Dinos look to keep their playoff hopes alive as they travel to Edmonton next weekend to take on the MacEwan Griffins January 23-24, while Winnipeg heads home to take on Brandon.   

Source: Thompson Rivers Sports Info

The dream is still alive for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men's volleyball team.

The WolfPack's hopes of capturing a playoff spot in the Canada West live on after they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to down the visiting University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat 3-2 at the Tournament Capital Centre on Saturday.

The scores at the Warner Rentals Court were 21-25, 20-25, 25-16 ,25-19, and 15-10.

The Pack now have a record of 9-11 while UBCO has fallen to 6-14.

"You could see us thinking about outcomes and what we had to do," said WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly. "Brad (Gunter) sat half a set.  I have to give credit to Tyler (Pomietlarz, second year, setter, Kelowna, BC), Randy (Grundmann, second year, outside hitter, Winnipeg, MB) and Nic (Balazs, fourth year, middle, Prince George, BC) for coming in and providing some stability."

Hennelly added: " Randy came in and I pulled Brad.  He went for a walk to clear his head.  Brad is a great player. I gave him a chance to clear his head and not worry about the outcome.  Like most good players do he came back with a vengeance"

Gunter wound up with 27 kills in 56 chances with a serving ace, eight digs and two block assists for 33 scoring points.  That was four behind the current school record of 37 scoring points set by Kevin Tillie on November 13, 2010 against Manitoba.

"When Pat started a completely different line up in the third set, that is when the momentum shifted," said Heat head coach Greg Poitras. "He brought in a bunch of energy guys. That shows the depth of their team. They came out and were wiry and made a lot of noise. They played with us and then he put Brad back on and that was the difference."

Casey Knight (fifth year, outside hitter, Salt Spring Island, BC) had 12 kills in 24 opportunities with seven digs, a solo block and two block assists.

Graham Stoliker (fourth year, setter, Surrey, BC) had 39 assists and five digs.

Pomietlarz had 12 assists in three sets.

Stuart Richey (fifth year, outside hitter, Robert's Creek, BC) had nine kills in 23 swings with three digs.  He and fellow fifth year Matt Krueger (libero, Abbotsford, BC) were honored for their five years of service before the match.

"I think there was some nerves for sure and guys start thinking too much," says Hennelly. "Stuart Richey was the most stable guy through the first two sets. He was our best outside hitter in those first two sets. He provided spark and enthusiasm.  He has leadership qualities that we are going to miss. I was so happy for him when he got a big kill in the fifth set. I am going to miss that guy. He was our most consistent guy tonight. There were flares from Brad and Casey and Randy but Stu was the most consistent."

UBCO had three players in double digits for kills led by Lars Bornemann (second year, outside hitter, Victoria, BC)  with 13 in 36 chances with a service ace, five digs, two solo blocks and three block assists.

Jim Bell (third year, middle, Surrey, BC) added 11 kills in 36 chances with two service aces, six digs and a solo block.

Joshua Harvey (third year, middle, Cochrane, AB) contributed 11 kills in 16 chances with three digs.

Kristof Schlagintweight (third year, setter, Abbotsford, BC) had 40 assists five digs, one solo block and five block assists for UBCO.

The WolfPack will continue their quest for a second straight post season berth as they entertain Mount Royal at the TCC next week (Jan. 23-24).

"Manitoba loses in five and we win in five if it goes the other way our season is done," Hennelly stated looking at the results. "We did what we had to do. UBCO will not make the playoffs. You have to beat the teams who don't make the playoffs. It ratchets up again with Mount Royal. We are directly tied with but they have a weekend in hand on us. We are tied at 9.  The winner of next weekend has a shot of the playoffs. The loser will be out."

Despite the loss and the elimination from the playoff hunt, Poitras says his young Heat group will take heart from this loss. "We take lessons away from every match. We played good ball for two sets. We had an opportunity in the third set. We need to hone in on different opportunities we had.  It was a good experience for our guys.

The Heat have the week off (Jan. 23-24).