BRONZE MEDAL: CIS championship: Laval reaches CIS podium for 3rd time in 5 years

Courtesy of University of Alberta sports information

EDMONTON (CIS) – For the third time in the last five seasons, the Laval Rouge et Or have reached the podium at the CIS women’s volleyball championship, thanks to a four-set win over the host Alberta Pandas (25-20, 20-25, 25-17, 25-23) in the bronze-medal match of the 2010 national tournament, Sunday afternoon at the UofA’s Main Gym.

Championship website (live webcasts): http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball

Laval now has accumulated gold, silver and bronze medals in the last five years, after claiming silver in 2007 and the program’s lone national title in 2006. After finishing fourth last season in Fredericton, the Rouge et Or moved up one spot this year, which was right in accordance with third-year head coach Alain Pelletier’s plan.

“Back on the podium... that was the plan right from the start of the season,” gushed Pelletier.

“After finishing fourth last season, we said at the beginning of this year we wanted to get back onto the podium. We knew if we won that first game, we would play for a medal, and that’s what we wanted. We managed to get here, and go one step further than last year which is what we wanted. Now I know, next year in Quebec will be on the podium again,” Pelletier added.

Quebec conference rookie of year Eve Trepanier led Laval with 20 kills and a .465 hitting percentage, while second-team all-Canadian power hitter Melanie Savoie of St-Sylvestre, Que. pounded 16 kills onto the Alberta floor.

Tiffany Proudfoot, Alberta’s attack leader all weekend, continued her streak of pacing the Panda offence, this time burying 20 kills in a losing effort. The Calgary-born power hitter was a conference second-team all-star this season after leading Canada West in kills. Sophomore middle Camille Wallace added 12 kills and a .391 attack rating.

Wallace, along with Caitlin Buckell, setter Jaki Ellis, libero Erin Walsh and power hitter Krista Zubick are all second-year starters for Alberta, and according to 18-year head coach Laurie Eisler, this experience will be a valuable building block for her team going forward.

“Yeah, this experience will definitely help our athletes down the road. I mean, whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger right? You don’t want to hear that at this moment, but this weekend will be a good lesson for what is a pretty young team.”

The Rouge et Or jumped ahead in first set, leading 8-5 at the first technical timeout, but the host Pandas soon tied it when Wallace, from Burnaby, B.C., pumped a kill over the Laval block for a 13-13 score. After Laval got back in front, Wallace re-tied the score at 15-15, but the QSSF finalists were back in front for good at 17-16, en route to a 25-20 win.

Alberta, which stunned Quebec champion and No. 2-seeded Montreal in the quarter-finals on Friday, led for most of the second set, grabbing an early 6-3 advantage, and only relinquishing their hold on it, briefly, when Laval, which upset No. 4 Regina in the opening round, snaked ahead 15-14.

The Pandas were soon in control again, and won the set with a 25-20 set win when they forced the Rouge et Or into an attack error.

As much as Alberta was in control in the second, Laval was even more in the driver’s seat for the third set, using leads of six-points or more to cruise to a 25-17 win, and a stranglehold on the match at 2-1.

The fourth set featured four lead changes, and both sides holding onto advantages for long stretches of time.

After going up 8-6 at the technical, Laval held on until Alberta squeaked ahead 13-12. The Pandas stayed in front, but, the Rouge et Or tied the at 20, then earned a slim 21-20 gap, which soon became 24-21.

A serve error gave the Pandas a point, and the ball, but, on the next rally, Laval was called for a ‘carry’, after thinking they had scored the match winning kill.

Pelletier called a timeout to calm his troops down after the official rained on the celebration at center court.

After the Proudfoot serve, Trepanier slammed a kill off the Alberta block and out for the delayed match winner.

NOTES: Alberta and Laval had met four previous times on the national stage, with the Pandas holding a 3-1 lead coming into Sunday’s bronze-medal match… Three of these previous head-to-head meetings were in the gold-medal final, with the Pandas winning the hardware in 2007, ’96 and ’95… All three championship wins were 3-1… The Rouge et Or’s only previous win over Alberta was in the fifth-place match at the 1994 championship, 3-0.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times LOCAL: Mountain Time)

Friday, March 5

Quarter-final #1: No. 1 UBC 3, No. 8 Saint Mary’s 0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-13)
Quarter-final #2: No. 5 Laval 3, No. 4 Regina 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-19)
Quarter-final #3: No. 3 Manitoba 3, No. 6 Toronto 0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-19)
Quarter-final #4: No. 7 Alberta 3, No. 2 Montreal 0 (25-20, 25-18, 27-25)

Saturday, March 6

Consolation #1: Regina 3, Saint Mary’s 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-9)
Consolation #2: Toronto 3, Montreal 2 (26-24, 25-22, 24-26, 22-25, 16-14)
Semi-final #1: UBC 3, Laval 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-17)
Semi-final #2: Manitoba 3, Alberta 1 (25-6, 25-17, 21-25, 27-25)

Sunday, March 7

Consolation final: Regina 3, Toronto 0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-17)
Bronze medal: Laval 3, Alberta 1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-17, 25-23)
18:00 Championship final: No. 1 UBC vs. No.3 Manitoba (SSN Canada webcast)


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