Blazers Program Gains Valuable Experience at CCAA Nationals
The Blazers Men's Volleyball team arrived home in Winnipeg on Monday afternoon fresh off their first appearance at a CCAA National Championship as Manitoba's representative at the tournament. It was a trip of firsts for the team, as well as the MCAC, as CMU now has the distinction of being the conference's first delegate at the natonal championship in men's volleyball.
The team departed Winnipeg last Wednesday en route to Quebec City, where Cegep Limoilou was set to host this year's tournament, the first since St Thomas University hosted in March of 2020. After a free day for the morning and afternoon on Thursday when the Blazers players acclimatized themselves to Quebec's Old City and the Francophone culture, the team hit the court for their first and only practice session at the game site ahead of their scheduled game the following evening. Not having the opportunity to head out-of-province during this year's pandemic season, the Blazers knew they would be in a tough situation, not only because they would only be relying on video and their own league games to prepare them for the best competition in the country, but also because they would need a win against either the Ontario or Alberta champs, or the host team who had a clear home court advantage to get into medal contention.
Friday's opening day of games brought about more off-court preparation for the team as they game-planned for their first round opponent, the Humber Hawks, who came into the tournament as the OCAA champions and the number-one ranked team at the championships. After watching the first pool B game which saw the hosts Limoilou Titans upset the second-seed in the pool and ACAC champions Red Deer Kings in a five-set marathon, the Blazers hit the court late for the final match of opening day. After a first set 25-18 loss where the two teams were feeling out the competition, the Blazers found themselves on the wrong end of some hot serving by the Hawks, and dropped the second set 25-16. Never one to give up on a match, the CMU side made some adjustments and found their rhythm heading into the third set, and managed to keep pace with the powerhouse Humber team throughout the frame, trading punches until late in the set. Tied at 22-apiece, CMU forced the Hawks to take a timeout, and took a brief lead late before Humber rattled off three straight points to take the match 3-0. Blazers libero Levi Klassen was named player of the match for the green and gold. The CMU loss meant the team would face the ACAC champions Red Deer Kings, who got upset in their first round match by the hosts Limoilou in front of a raucous home crowd.
A quick turnaround for the Blazers had the two teams taking losses on day one in pool B facing off in a do-or-die scenario to extend their tournament into the bronze medal round. The Red Deer Kings were the Blazers' opponent, who were clearly emotional after dropping their opening round match after clawing back to force a fifth set, only to be crushed by the Titans of Limoilou. The lone Alberta representative presented a much more balanced team and a tougher matchup to game plan for over CMU's previous opponent Humber, who had some powerful outside attackers, but a much more predictable offence. A hot start early for the Blazers had them looking like they they had a chance, but at a 4-5 lead for the Blazers, right side Brett Lauer of the Red Deer Kings planted a spike through CMU all-star left side Cam Gayleard's block and off his face and out of bounds. The Kings never looked back, as the play was a turning point in the set and the match, taking the set 25-17, and held the momentum starting the second set with an early five point cushion. After exhibiting some concussion-like symptoms, Gayleard was taken out of the match for precautionary reasons, which forced the Blazers to mix their lineup, first with veteran left side Brock Carmichael taking his place to close out the second set, a 25-11 loss. The Blazers regrouped at the break and kept pace once again early in the set, with Head coach Don Dulder opting to switch his primary right side, Matt Page to the left side, giving rookie Duncan Petrie his first touches on the national stage. But without one of their all-stars available, the CMU side ultimately took the defeat 25-17 in the set, and 3-0 in the match to the eventual bronze medal winners out of Red Deer. In his final game as a Blazer, Matt Page was named player of the match for the green and gold.
Saturday's loss spelled the end of the tournament for the Blazers, who along with RSEQ champions St-Jean Geants of pool A, were spectators for the remainder of the championships. The two undefeated teams, Camosun Chargers of Victoria, BC, and hosts Limoilou Titans, who went on to upset the Humber Hawks in their semi-final showdown on Saturday were set to meet in the championship final, but not until the morning's bronze semis played out, followed by the bronze match later in the evening. The early game had the Red Deer Kings continue their run defeating the St Thomas Tommies out of Fredericton, NB, to book themselves a spot in the bronze medal game, while in a rematch of the OCAA finals, the wildcard Redeemer Royals took out the Humber Hawks in a five-set match that included some truly bizzarre coaching tactics by the Hawks who played long stretches of the game without their regular starters in the lineup. When the dust all settled, it was the Camosun Chargers who took home the championship title, the second consecutive CCAA win for teams coming out of British Columbia's PACWEST conference, despite a valiant effort by the home side Limoilou. Red Deer handled the Redeemer Royals in four sets in the bronze medal match as the other team to make a podium appearance. At the end of the championships, the standings were as follows:
1st Place - Camosun Chargers - PACWEST (1st seed pool A | Ranked 4th nationally prior to tournament)
2nd Place - Limoilou Titans - RSEQ Host (3rd seed pool B | Ranked 9th nationally prior to tournament)
3rd Place - Red Deer Kings - ACAC (2nd seed pool B | Ranked 6th nationally prior to tournament)
4th Place - Redeemer Royals - OCAA Wildcard (4th seed pool A | Ranked 8th nationally prior to tournament)
5/6th Place - Humber Hawks - OCAA (1st seed pool B | Ranked 1st nationally prior to tournament)
5/6th Place - St Thomas Tommies - ACAC (3rd seed pool A | Ranked 7th nationally prior to tournament)
7/8th Place - CMU Blazers - MCAC (4th seed pool B | Ranked 11th nationally prior to tournament)
7/8th Place - St-Jean Geants RSEQ (2nd seed pool A | Unranked nationally prior to tournament)
It was clearly a learning experience for the Blazers who have a young squad now intent on getting back to the national stage and proving they they, as representatives of the MCAC, belong in the championship conversation. While the completion of the CCAA Nationals marks the end of Blazers varsity games for the season, the fire still burns to improve and come back stronger, quicker, and more prepared for future championships.
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