Historic Weekend for the Blazers at MCAC Championships
Blazers Men's Volleyball Bound for Nationals; Women's Basketball Make History with Fourth Consecutive Title
CMU Men's Volleyball will be headed to Nationals in Quebec CIty later this month after their successful MCAC Championship defense
It was a weekend to remember for Blazers Athletics, as for the first time since the conference began operations both basketball and volleyball championships were played on the same weekend, and the Blazers showed up in a big way, making an appearance in the finals with each of its four contending teams.
Friday night's MCAC Basketball Championship hosted by Providence University College in their new home at the Niverville Rec Centre was a raucous affair in front of a decidedly pro-Pilots crowd. Both Blazer teams came into the final after a semi final bye as the top seed in the conference, and both were matched up against the host Pilots, making for a tough setting for the teams looking to cap off their seasons on a high note.
The women's game went according to the Blazers' game plan, as CMU took the lead early and never looked back. In their final game as Blazers, outstanding graduates Julia Schatkowsky and Shirliz Apiyo led the team in scoring in the 79-57 win. Schatkowsky drained 19 points, and added seven rebounds and six assists, and took home the championships MVP honours for her effort, while Apiyo netted 16 points with 10 rebounds and four steals for a championship double-double. The deadly duo have seen plenty of success throughout their time with the Blazers, as it was the fourth consecutive title for the program, to go along with a 2020 NIAC Championships win as well. The win capped off a perfect 13-0 season in MCAC play for the women's squad, who followed a 12-0 regular season with the all-important championship win.
In the following men's championship final, the much more closely contested men's division was ripe for an upset for the hosts Pilots, who were coming off a big semi final win on Thursday night over the newcomers St. Boniface Rouges. That momentum, along with home court familiarity was a clear factor throughout the final, as CMU never seemed to find their scoring touch, and failed to shut down the Pilots' offence, as their star guard Josh Anderson repeatedly had his way working the Blazers defenders. CMU found themselves in an early hole, and never managed to climb out, closing the gap slightly in the second half only to see the Pilots pull away again late. At the buzzer the final score was 84-60 in favour of the Pilots, leaving the Blazers with a 10-3 conference record, but no hardware to show for it. Graduating guard Seth McKenzie led the Blazers with 17 points, while player of the game for CMU Isaiah Cole added 15 points, as did rookie big-man David Froese who put in arguably his best performance of the season in the championship game.
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After Friday's basketball showcases, the MCAC Championship action moved out to Brandon, where the Assiniboine Community College Cougars hosted the 2022 Volleyball Championships. With a berth at the CCAA Nationals on the line for the first time in conference history, there was a lot on the line going into Saturday's semi final matchups.
With identical win-loss records, but the Pilots holding the head-to-head advantage, CMU's women's team entered their semi final as the third seed, looking to upset their conference rivals who gained the advantage late in the season with two road wins over the Blazers at the Loewen Athletic Centre. The Blazers found themselves in an early hole in the first set, but gradually climbed their way back, and forced extra points with a late surge that saw them finally overtake Providence and take a magical first set win 28-26. The Pilots pushed back hard in the second set, but the Blazers steeled their nerves once again, and made another late push, again overtaking the Pilots in the final points of the set to win 27-25 and take the 2-0 sets lead. With momentum finally on their side, the Blazers continued to battle and gritted out a third set victory 25-20, to take the match 3-0 and secure their spot in Sunday's final. Rachel Bartel was named player of the match for the Blazers for her strong play on the left side.
On the men's side, the top-seeded Blazers were set to face the fourth-place Les Rouges, a matchup that was much tighter than their records would make you believe throughout the regular season. The St. Boniface side started out hot, and just like in the women's match, the Blazers found themselves looking up at Les Rouges on the scoreboard for much of the set. In an unfortunate turn of events, all-star left side for Les Rouges, Kaylen Desmarais-Joseph crumpled under the net during play with an apparent serious knee injury that took him out of the match and left the team without their major difference-maker. The Blazers made their push and managed to close out the first set 26-24, decidedly shifting the momentum in their favour. Though Les Rouges put up a good battle, the Blazers tidied up their play and took set two by a score of 25-18, and set three 25-17 to take the match in straight sets and secure their spot in the MCAC Championship Final. CMU's setter and league all-star Timothy Juvonen was named player of the match for the Blazers.
CMU was the only school left with both of their squads in the main event come Sunday afternoon, with the hosts Cougars ousted in Saturday's semis, and Providence and St. Boniface each with a team left in the race. The Blazers swapped opponents for Sunday's final, with the women matching up against the top-seeded and nationally ranked Les Rouges, while the Blazers were set to meet their foes from the previous two championship finals, the Providence Pilots.
A sluggish start for the Blazers women's squad had them trailing early in the match with St. Boniface, and the. team never managed to close the gap, dropping the opener 25-17. Some tweaks during the break had the green and gold looking better, but a few lost points at crucial moments during the set had Les Rouges hold on to their lead and take the second set 25-23, holding a considerable 2-0 set lead over the Blazers. But the CMU side wasn't about to roll over for Les Rouges, and in a tight back-and-forth battle, the Blazers found themselves on top 25-23 at the end of the third, giving them hope of a monumental comeback. The fourth set went much the same way with Les Rouges normally mechanical offense sputtering against the Blazers defence. Once again the green and gold willed their way to a 25-23 win, levelling the match at 2-2 and setting up a fifth and deciding set. Les Rouges found their previous form in the final frame, taking an early lead that they never relinquished to the CMU side who fought valiantly to the end, but ended the season with heartbreak at the hands of a St. Boniface side who will now prepare to represent the MCAC at the CCAA National Championships. CMU setter Renee Desroches was named player of the match in her final game as a Blazer
In the final matchup of the weekend, Blazers men's volleyball faced the Providence Pilots; two teams with identical win-loss records in a fitting final rubbermatch with each program taking a championship win over the last two seasons. In front of a loud pro-Pilots crowd, the Blazer men once again found themselves in an early hole in the first set, but as they had done so many times before, steadied themselves and turned the tide to take the first set 25-22. But the Blazers came out completely flat in the second frame, and with absolutely nothing falling their way took a devastating 25-12 loss that could only be described as a throw-away game. After some deep introspection, the Blazers reset their game and came out determined to turn the match back in their favour, doing so with a 25-20 win. With the chess-match now in full swing and plenty of gamesmanship on and off the court, the Blazers headed into the fourth set with only one thing on their mind: an MCAC Championship and a berth at CCAA Nationals. Outstanding play from converted middle Josh Werbiski playing in his hometown Brandon had his Blazers squad on the cusp of championship glory when rookie "Super Dave" Nelson took to the service line and delivered another supreme serve which set up a dig of his own followed by a game-winning kill from Blazers all-star Matt Page, who once again put the nail in the coffin for the Pilots. CMU's Timothy Juvonen was named Championship MVP for his stellar leadership and play throughout the weekend, and will now be tasked with leading his CMU squad at the CCAA National Championships in Quebec City later this month.
A huge congratulations goes out to all of our Blazer teams that competed in this weekend's championships. CMU teams have now featured in five of the six MCAC Championship Finals held so far this season, and will look to add more when futsal championships are played next weekend.
