Mitch SorensenThe Golden Bears volleyball team took an unexpected road to the CIS Championships, but qualified nonetheless with a victory in the Canada West bronze medal match on Saturday.
Coming in as the number No. 1 seed both in Canada West and the CIS, the Bears were projected as favourites to three-peat as conference champions. But a hungry Trinity Western Spartans team downed the Bears in Friday’s semi-final match (25-21, 25-17 and 25-18), and relegated them to the bronze medal game.
The Manitoba Bisons found themselves in a similar predicament, as they came into the tournament as No. 2 seeds, and were expected to handily defeat the Saskatchewan Huskies in the semi-finals. The Bisons eventually fell to the Huskies in straight sets.
The Bears and Bisons met in a win-or-go-home scenario to decide whose season would come to and end. The Bears seized a significant lead in the first set and didn’t look back for the rest of the match, as they rolled to a straight sets victory (25-18, 25-17 and 25-14).
The Bisons seemed to have no answer for the Bears on attack or defense, as Alberta maintained a very high team attack percentage, hitting .493 on the night. Coupled with ace, dig and block figures which all bested the Bisons, with three to two, 21 to 14 and 7.5 to five, respectively, the Bears convincingly beat the Bisons 3-0.
Moving on to the CIS championships at McMaster University next weekend, seeding will be key for the Golden Bears. Coming out of Canada West as the number three seed, it’s currently unclear who the Bears will match up with.
Seeking their third straight national championship, the Bears bronze medal finish maintains a 12-year long CIS tournament qualification streak. Canada West seeds for CIS championship will ultimately be decided tonight, as the Huskies and Spartans face off in the gold medal game at the Saville Centre.
