Courtesy of Laval University sports information office / Photo credit Yan Doublet

QUEBEC CITY (CIS) – The fourth-seeded Alberta Golden Bears made quick work of the eighth-ranked Montreal Carabins by a score of 3-0 Saturday afternoon in the second consolation match of the CIS men’s volleyball championship in Quebec City.

The Canada West representatives will have the opportunity to improve their last year’s sixth place finish when they play conference rivals Trinity Western Spartans Sunday at 11:00 am EST in the 5th-place match. The Carabins see their tournament ends with a 0-2 record.

“I always consider those games as character matches. They are games that no one wants to play and I have always told my guys true character comes out when you have to play those games, whether you’re a quitter or whether you’re a competitor,” explained Alberta’s head coach Terry Danyluk.

“For us, it was important to show that we are competitors,” he continued.

“Alberta has a big volleyball machine. We came out a little bit flat, which is normal. It’s been two or three intense weeks for us, where we had to draw a lot of gaz. At some point, there is less in the engine and it’s more difficult,” said Montreal’s head coach Georges Laplante.
“They were pushing hard and we couldn’t answer. Their service play was dominant. We simply ran out of energy and out of resources,” added Laplante.

The first set was a one-way affair for the Golden Bears. Montreal held on early in the frame, but with an 8-6 mark, Alberta exploded for eight straight points to reach the technical timeout with a comfortable lead of 16-6. The Carabins had no answer to the Bears power, and the Canada West bronze medallists easily took the first set 25-11.

The Albertans didn’t want to lose time in the second frame either. They scored the first four points and the tone was set. Matt McCreary (Calgary, AB) then nailed two service aces and later on, the Bears were ahead 16-8 at the mandatory pause. Montreal wasn’t able to compete against the powerhouse, who took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match by a set score of 25-12.

The third set started just like the other two, with big kills and huge blocks from the Alberta side, who quickly jumped to 5-1 and 10-3 leads. Once again, the issue of the set seemed assured at the technical pause, with Montreal trailing 16-8. The Bears have somewhat eased off, letting the Carabins get back into the play, approaching to 21-18. The hope quickly faded away though, with the Bears taking the set and the match, 25-19.

Middle Tristan Aubry was voted player of the match for Alberta, and libero player Guillaume Turcotte was elected for Montreal.

Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index

STAT LEADERS

Alberta
Kills: Jay Olmstead (12), Tristan Aubry, Mitch Irvine (7)
Points: Jay Olmstead (13), Matt McCreary (11)
Blocks: Brett Walsh, Matt McCreary (2)
Digs: Erik Mattson (11)
Service aces: Matt McCreary (4)

Player of the match: Tristan Aubry

Montreal
Kills: Maxime Campeau (11), Charlie Loignon (5)
Points: Maxime Campeau (12), Charlie Loignon (5.5)
Blocks: Samuel Landry (1.5)
Digs: Maxime Campeau (10)
Service aces: Édouard Bourque-Trudeau (1)

Player of the match: Guillaume Turcotte

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Friday, March 1
12:30 Quarter-final #1: McMaster 3, UNB 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-14)
14:30 Quarter-final #2: Western 3, Trinity Western 2, (26-28, 23-25, 31-29, 27-25, 15-9)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: Brandon 3, Montreal 1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-20)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: Laval 3, Alberta 1, (15-25, 25-22, 25-21, 27-25)

Saturday, March 2
12:30 Consolation #1: Trinity Western 3, UNB 2 (19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12)
14:30 Consolation #2: Alberta 3, Montreal 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-19)
18:00 Semifinal #1: McMaster vs. Western (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
20:00 Semifinal #2: Brandon vs. Laval (www.CIS-SIC.tv)

Sunday, March 3
11:00 5th place: Trinity Western vs. Alberta (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
13:00 Bronze medal (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
16:30 Championship final (www.CIS-SIC.tv)

-CIS-