USports Men's Volleyball Championship 2018 - Game 9 - UNB vs Montreal

CIS Men's Volleyball Championship 2016 - Game 3 - Saskatchewan vs UNB 10_3_16

They may have taken their AUS opponents lightly when the draw of the 50th CIS Men's Volleyball Championship presented by Leggat Auto Group was announced on Sunday. But after Thursday's razor-close decision, the Saskatchewan Huskies will underestimate the New Brunswick Varsity Reds no longer. The Huskies clawed their way to a five-set victory, rallying for the final two sets to move on to the semifinal slated for Friday. Set scores were 23-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-20 and 15-10 in favour of Saskatchewan Jordan Nowakowski of Rama, Sask. led the Huskies in the see-saw battle tallying a game high 30 kills and registering 31.5 points in the win. Nowakowski was named player of the game for Saskatchewan. The third set looked like it would be the undoing for the Canada West runner-up Saskatchewan, as UNB rattled off a six-point run to lead 8-2 which basically handed the set to the Varsity Reds. The Huskies rebounded in the fourth set with a 25-20 win, and set the table with the momentum in their favour for the fifth.They opened the final frame 4-0 and then built an 8-2 lead which they were able to build into a 15-10 set victory. "UNB won their conference and they're a very good team. I do think they took us by surprise, but I like the way that we battled back," said Nowakowski who was named player of the game for Saskatchewan. "We've had to come through some adversity this season and I'm proud of the boys after this one." Saskatchewan's C.J. Gavlas of Saskatoon, Sask., paired with Nowakowski in bringing the Huskies offence to life, notching a game-high 50 assists to help power the come-from-behind victory. "If they were supposed to be the underdog, they played their role very well and we didn't play ours very well, in terms of execution." said Gavlas who was named to the CIS all-rookie team on Thursday. "They forced us into a lot of bad things, and our side-out game and our serve-receive game weren't very good. [We] got a little bit better as the match progressed, and we started to figure out their hitters a little bit more. Etienne Hagenbuch and Gavlas led the Huskies defensively, posting 13 and 11 digs respectively. Pascal McCarthy of Fredericton, NB led UNB with 20 points, while teammate Eivind Anderson of Sardnes, Norway followed with 17 points. McCarthy had 18 kills on 38 total attacks, with two service aces and six digs in the loss. Anderson had 16 kills. UNB head coach Dan McMorran was pleased that they held their own with a strong Canada West opponent. "There's nobody here that's expecting us to topple the Canada West number two-ranked team," said McMorran. "I think our guys have steadily improved all season. "Some of our weaknesses were exposed a little bit down the stretch. We didn't pass as well as we should have. We're missing one of our key receivers and it began to really show at the end." STAT LEADERS Saskatchewan Kills: Jordan Nowakowski (30), Andrew Nelson (8) Points: Jordan Nowakowski (31.5) Blocks: Colin Fraser (3), Tyler Epp (2) Digs: Etienne Hagenbuch (13), CJ Galvas (11) Service aces: Colin Fraser (2) Player of the match: Jordan Nowakowski UNB Kills: Pascal McCarthy (18), Eivind Anderson (16) Points: Pascal McCarthy (20), Eivind Anderson (17) Blocks: Samuel Alves (6) Digs: Patrick Surette (9) Service aces: Pascal McCarthy (2), Samuel Alves (2) Player of the match: Eivind Anderson

CIS Men's Volleyball Championship 2016 - Game 6 - Waterloo vs UNB 11_3_16

Trailing after two scrappy sets, the UNB Varsity Reds found their game and the means to engineer a remarkable win. The Varsity Reds stormed back to defeat the Waterloo Warriors for their first five-set victory of the season, a night after losing in five to the Saskatchewan Huskies at the 50th CIS men's volleyball championship. "We've talked all season about the road that we're on and the need for constant progression," said UNB head coach Dan McMorran. "We told ourselves that we needed to find a way to play our best ball in these tight situations, and I think we had a few key plays that we were able to build off of." Waterloo was left rueing a second straight night on which they featured less than their best volleyball. "Even in the first two sets that we won, we were playing very bad volleyball," said Waterloo head coach Chris Lawson. "I don't think we fully recovered from yesterday. "We played very poorly and still managed to win, and somehow, that didn't make us relax. We only got tenser and tenser as the match went on." Set scores were 23-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-23 and 15-10 in favour of the Varsity Reds, who advance to face the Laval Rouge et Or in Saturday's fifth-place game. The Atlantic University Sport (AUS) champions were 0-3 in interlock against the Rouge et Or this season. The Warriors trademark blocking prowess helped them grab hold of the opening set, as they locked up five blocks as a team and held New Brunswick to an even zero in hitting percentage with nine kills versus nine errors. A service run from Gibson Graham helped propel Waterloo to a 13-8 lead, and after weathering a comeback from the Varsity Reds, the Warriors reeled off three key points late with Cok at the line to nudge themselves ahead for good. Even while their defence had excelled in set one, the Warriors offence had sputtered. But that was not the case in the second, where Waterloo enjoyed a 39 per cent hitting rate as a team, and committed just three errors. Cok was lethal in the set, with seven kills versus just one error, and continued to see the bulk of the offensive workload for Waterloo. The teams were deadlocked at 19 late in the set, before Waterloo engineered a 6-2 run to cross the finish line, sealing the set on Cok's seventh kill of the period. That's when UNB kicked into gear, and AUS Player of the Year Eivind Anderson believed that the early setback was precisely what his team needed to fully enter the match. "We might have needed that push to get going today," said Anderson. "We played really well against Saskatchewan and that might have made us a bit too comfortable to start today." Facing elimination from the tournament, the Varsity Reds found a way to unlock their offence in the third set. 11 team digs spoke to the newfound passing on display from New Brunswick, who raised their hitting percentage from a paltry 10 in set two to 43 in the third. Anderson dug himself out of a negative percentage, with four kills versus one error in the third. Two consecutive kills from Anderson helped UNB to a 14-8 lead and forced Waterloo into a timeout, and the Varsity Reds continued to lead convincingly at the technical break. Needing a run to stage a comeback, the Warriors could only play side-out volleyball, and the Reds clawed back half of their overall deficit when setter Matthew Losier blocked Greg Simone for 25-18. With momentum clearly in their favour, the Varsity Reds took care of business convincingly in the fifth and final set, committing just two errors as a team. A four point run, including two kills from Anderson, gave UNB a lead they would not relinquish. STAT LEADERS UNB Kills: Pascal McCarthy (15), Eivind Anderson (14) Points: Eivind Anderson (16.5), Pascal McCarthy (16.5) Blocks: Samuel Alves (4.5) Digs: Eivind Anderson (11), Patrick Surette (11) Service aces: Matthew Losier (2), Samuel Alves (2) Player of the match: Matthew Losier Waterloo Kills: Braden Cok (21), Aidan Simone (11) Points: Braden Cok (23), Aidan Simone (14) Blocks: Jordan McConkey (3.5), Trevor Coathup (3) Digs: Gibson Graham (13), Erich Woolley (12) Service aces: Aidan Simone (2) Player of the match: Catherine Laurin

CIS Men's Volleyball Championship 2016 - Game 10 - Alberta vs Saskatchewan 12_3_16

The Alberta Golden Bears added a bronze medal to their collection on Saturday, defeating the Saskatchewan Huskies in straight sets at the 50th CIS Men's Volleyball Championship presented by Leggat Auto Group. Heading into the championship, Alberta, had been the two-time defending champion, but this year the Golden Bears had to settle for a third place finish. Set scores for the bronze medal match were 25-14, 27-25 and 25-23 for Alberta. The Golden Bears have faired well in the national championship, making 23 overall appearances and bringing home a medal 19 times. Alberta has finished as champions eight times, six as silver medalists, and now have five bronze with the win today. Ryley Barnes of St. Paul, Alta., earned player of the game honours, posting 14 points including 11 kills and two aces. He also registered seven digs defensively, which was among the game's best. Last night, Alberta lost a five-set thriller in the semifinal to Trinity Western, and clearly their mind was set to ensure they ended their 2015-16 campaign with a win. "We talked about today and said that we didn't want last night's match to define us," said Barnes a First Team CIS All-Canadian for the Golden Bears. "This was a character match, and we wanted to come out and show what Golden Bears volleyball is. That was a devastating loss yesterday, and all the best to Trinity Western, but today, we wanted to show our true colours." Alberta head coach Terry Danyluk agreed with Barnes assessment. "On the day, you're either good enough or you're not," said Danyluk. "The last few years, we've been the best team when it mattered, but this year, we didn't have all of the pieces we needed." "We're not invincible as athletes, and every team is the team on the day that they show up." Ryan Nickifor of Sherwood led the Golden Bears with 15.5 points along with a game high 12 kills in the win. CIS Player of the Year Brett Walsh of Calgary totaled a game-high 28 assists in the win. For Saskatchewan, Jordan Nowakowski of Rama, Sask., led the Huskies with 11 points, including 10 kills and one block. Teammate Colin Fraser of Saskatoon was named the Huskies player of the game tallying 8.5 points, contributing three digs in a well-rounded performance. Setter C.J. Gavlas of Saskatoon registered 21 assists for the Huskies. An 8-0 deficit in the opening set was the undoing for Saskatchewan, as the Huskies had to continually battle from behind, never taking a comfortable lead in two of the three sets. "In all three sets, we started off pretty slow and were forced to try to catch up each time," said Gavlas, who, earlier this week, was named CIS Rookie of the Year. "That's was definitely tough, but it was the first eight points every time that put us behind." "They were serving pretty tough, especially in the first couple of sets, where we didn't have much going offensively." The second set was more closely contested, with Saskatchewan at one point building a four-point lead. However, Alberta kept chipping away, and eventually tied the game at 24, before taking over to win it 27-25. In the third, Saskatchewan continued to keep pace, but ultimately fell 25-23. The Golden Bears never lost a set to Saskatchewan, this year sweeping all three games contested against the Huskies dating back to Nov. 6 & 7th in Canada West league play. STAT LEADERS Alberta Kills: Ryan Nickifor (12), Ryley Barnes (11) Points: Ryan Nickifor (15.5), Ryley Barnes (14) Blocks: John Goranson (3) Digs: Alex McMullin (8) Service aces: Ryley Barnes (2), Alex McMullin (2) Player of the match: Ryley Barnes Saskatchewan Kills: Jordan Nowakowski (10), Colin Fraser (7) Points: Jordan Nowakowski (10), Tyler Epp (10) Blocks: Tyler Epp (5) Digs: Etienne Hagenbuch (6) Service aces: Andrew Nelson (2) Player of the match: Colin Fraser

CIS Men's Volleyball Championship 2016 - Game 7 - Alberta vs Trinity Western 11_3_16

It was a heavyweight fight between two of the best in the CIS, and the battle will soon not be forgotten, as the Trinity Western Spartans edged the Alberta Golden Bears in five sets to advance to the 50th CIS men's volleyball championship final. Trinity Western will play the winner of the evening semifinal between host McMaster and Saskatchewan. The CIS final is set for 6:00 pm (EST) on Saturday at Burridge Gym at McMaster University. This battle was brewing all season long, as Alberta swept the season series with two wins in Canada West league play, while Trinity Western beat out the Golden Bears when it counted in postseason play. The Spartans up-ended Alberta in the Canada West semifinal just a week ago and knocked them into the bronze medal game, with set scores of 18-25, 25-20, 25-19, 20-25 and 15-11. Trinity Western's Black Scheerhorn of Belleville, Ont., was masterful on Friday, claiming player of the game honours for the Spartans tallying 25 kills on 52 attacks to go along with two aces and a game high 30 points. "It feels pretty amazing," said Scheerhorn following play. "We knew this was a great Alberta team and that they were going to have a fire in their bellies, because we beat them in the Canada West semifinal, and it was going to be a battle tonight." "We kept our heads on straight and knew that if we played our block defence, we'd be able to get out of tough situations. Patience was the key. We were patient with the ball, and it helped us in the end." Ryan Sclater was the other Spartan to register double digts in points, recording 21 along with 18 kills. Spartans setter Adam Schriemer of Winnipeg quarterbacked the offence with 50 assists. Alberta was handicapped early in the first set with the loss of Taylor Arnett of Calgary, who suffered a leg injury in the first set. Earlier this week, Arnett was named as a middle to the CIS All-Canadian second team. Trinity Western's Head Coach Ben Josephson, who is in his ninth season with the Spartans knew that was a big loss for Alberta given the teams history against each other. "It's disappointing when a great player goes down. You never want to play someone undermanned," said Josephson. "They paid a big price to get into this match, and it's tough that Taylor had to go down. We were playing with one of our middles pretty sick, and that's just the way it is at this time of the year. Golden Bears setter Brett Walsh of Calgary recorded a tournament high 60 assists in the five set slug fest, recording 13 digs along with seven points in the loss for Alberta. "It really was a great match, and a lot of fun to play," said Walsh, the 2016 CIS Player of the Year. "It's [too bad] to be on the losing end of it for sure. But that's what we play for, we want these competitive situations at this time of the year. We put ourselves in the right position, we just came up short today." Ryley Barnes of St. Paul, Alta., had 24 kills for the Golden Bears while Ryan Kickifor of Sherwood Park. Alta., had 23, wih both players tallying 25 points for the team lead. The heavyweight battle was back and forth with neither team gaining too much momenium throughout. The biggest lead was in the first set with Alberta holding a seven-point advantage to secure a 1-0 lead. Trinity Western roared right back, claiming the next two sets before Alberta rebounded in the fourth to set up the deciding frame. In the fifth set, the two teams traded leads six times before the Spartans were able to gain the final advantage at 10-9. From there, Scheerhoorn and Sclater registered two kills and the Spartans forced Alberta to make a handful of mental errors to give the game to Trinity Western. STAT LEADERS Trinity Western Kills: Blake Sheerhoorn (25), Ryan Sclater (18) Points: Blake Sheerhoorn (30), Ryan Sclater (21) Blocks: Blake Sheerhoorn (3), Aaron Boettcher (3) Digs: Tyler Koslowsky (8) Service aces: Blake Sheerhoorn (2), Adam Schriemer (2) Player of the match: Blake Sheerhoorn Alberta Kills: Ryley Barnes (24), Ryan Nickifor (23) Points: Ryley Barnes (25), Ryan Nickifor (25) Blocks: Brett Walsh (2) Digs: Brett Walsh (13) Service aces: Arran Chambers (2) Player of the match: Ryan Nickifor