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

QUEBEC CITY (CIS) – The standing room only crowd of over 3,000 gathered at PEPS Stadium Friday evening was a big help for the fifth-seeded and tournament host Laval Rouge et Or, who defeated the No. 4 Alberta Golden Bears in four sets of 15-25, 25-22, 25-21 and 27-25 to reach the semifinals for the fifth year in a row at the CIS men’s volleyball championship.

“I feel relieved! We should not forget that those kids are not often exposed to this kind of idolatry. I wasn’t nervous, and neither was Gino (Brousseau, assistant coach), because we had lived this in the past. But to play volleyball with a knife on the throat, it’s not pleasant,” said Laval head coach Pascal Clément.

“It is not part of their daily routine to be teleported in front of a packed stadium, where you must win. I take my hat off to the players, because after the first set, they were able to gather and take it home,” Clément continued.

“The environment was fine, we started off really well. Our passing and our serving broke down after the first set. They served harder, passed better and they held on to it longer than us,” said Alberta head coach Terry Danyluk.

“If we were going to win, we had to play hard. We made a bunch of mistakes at the beginning of the fourth, we solidified them but at the end, Laval made some very special plays and that’s usually the difference in those games,” Danyluk added.

The Golden Bears came out strong, forging an early 8-2 lead against the home team. Laval seemed unable to break their opponent’s block. The Rouge et Or came within three points of the Albertans, but then had trouble with their service reception, allowing the Canada West bronze medallists to take a comfortable lead of 16-7 at the technical break. Alberta continued to strike hard, although Laval showed some teeth on some occasions, but it wasn’t enough. The Bears took the lead by a score of 25-15.

The second frame gave a much more balanced duel between the number four and five seed. Raised by a noisy crowd, the Rouge et Or was able to find holes in the Alberta defence. Tommy Bélisle and Olivier Bibeault-Pinard tallied most of the kills for Laval, who led 16-12 at the mandatory pause. The Bears came up to a single point, but the Rouge et Or never let go, claiming the set 25-22 to tie the match.

The third set started Laval’s way. Ahead 4-3, the Rouge et Or went for an eight-point streak. The Bears then rallied, partly thanks to CIS player of the year Mitch Irvine (Red Deer, AB). Laval was still in control at 16-9 at the technical timeout. But the Alberta players didn’t let go. They closed the gap quietly, coming as close as 20-21. However, the fifth service error on the Alberta side since the break helped the home team take the set away, 25-21.

The fourth set again saw both teams play hard, with long rallies and nice defensive plays. Neither the Bears nor the Rouge et Or could take a real advantage, both sides taking the lead at their turn. Alberta was up 16-15 at the technical break, and they were in a great position to force a fifth set, taking a 20-17 lead late in the frame. But the Rouge et Or once again came from behind and had a chance to finish the battle at 24-22, but couldn’t do so. The Bears then had their chance at 25-24, but a service error from Mitch Irvine tied the set. Laval took their chance and ended it at 27-25.

Middle Jeremie Lortie (Ottawa, ON) was chosen player of the game for the winners, while the honour went to left side hitter Jay Olmstead.

Semifinal clashes are now known, with #7 Western taking on #3 McMaster in a OUA final rematch at 6:00 pm EST on Saturday, and #5 Laval crossing path with championship favourite Brandon at 8:00 pm EST.

In the afternoon, the consolation round will see #6 UNB face #2 Trinity Western at 12:30 pm EST and #8 Montreal battle with #4 Alberta at 2:30 pm EST.

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

STAT LEADERS

Laval
Kills: Tommy Bélisle (13), Jérémie Lortie (9)
Points: Tommy Bélisle (16.5), Jérémie Lortie (13.5)
Blocks: Jérémie Lortie (4.5)
Digs: Vincent Thibault-Bernier (12)
Service aces: Tommy Bélisle (2)

Player of the match: Jérémie Lortie

Alberta
Kills: Jay Olmstead (17), Mitch Irvine (11)
Points: Jay Olmstead (18), Mitch Irvine (13.5)
Blocks: Matt McCreary (3.5)
Digs: Erik Mattson (9)
Service aces: Mitch Irvine, Tristan Aubry, Ryley Barnes (1)

Player of the match: Jay Olmstead

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: UNB vs. Trinity Western (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
14:30 Consolation #2: Montreal vs. Alberta (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
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 (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
13:00 Bronze medal (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
16:30 Championship final (www.CIS-SIC.tv)

-CIS-