CIS men's volleyball Friday roundup: Dalhousie, Laval win game one of conference finals

WINNIPEG - The No. 2 ranked Manitoba Bisons men’s volleyball team (18-2 regular season; playoffs: 2-0) clinches a CIS National Championship berth with a 2-0 series win over the UBC-Okanagan Heat (8-12; playoffs: 0-2) in the 2012 Canada West Quarter Final. This is the first time that Manitoba will play in the CIS Nationals since the 2005-06 season.

Manitoba won the best-of-three playoff series with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) in the second match on Friday, February 17 at  the Investors Group Athletic Centre - IGAC (U of Manitoba campus). In the first playoff match, Manitoba won 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-21) on Feb. 16.

Manitoba now advances to the Canada West Final Four hosted by the No. 1 ranked Trinity Western Spartans on the Feb. 24-25 weekend in Langley, BC. The Canada West conference will have four representatives to the 2012 CIS Men’s Volleyball National Championship in Queen’s University in Kingston, ON from March 2-4.

Garth Pischke, in his 31st season as Bisons men’s volleyball head coach, has now guided the Bisons to the CIS National Championships for a 26th time. Under Pischke, Manitoba have so far collected nine CIS gold medals, nine CIS silver medals, three CIS bronze medal, three fourth place finishes, and their lowest CIS Championship showing being a fifth place finish.

Pischke commented after the match, “I was happy with the good solid effort against a tough team. Last year (lost in quarter final at home) had a lot to do with the year as we remembered and have been focused to win close games this year. This is an important first goal and now onto the Final Four.”

Manitoba Bisons Men’s Volleyball - 2012 Playoff Home Results
Thursday, February 16 Match 1: Manitoba won 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-21) over UBC-O
Friday, February 17  Match 2: Manitoba won 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) over UBC-O

Source: Manitoba Sports Info

CALGARY – The Calgary Dinos used a proficient offence, solid defence, and a dominant performance at the net to defeat the Brandon Bobcats 3-1 (25-21, 21-25. 25-16, 25-20) Friday night to draw first blood in their best-of-three Canada West Quarterfinal series.

Calgary moves just one win away from advancing to both the Canada West Final Four next week in Langley, B.C. as well as the CIS championship a week later in Kingston, Ont. The Dinos will look to close out the Bobcats in Game 2 Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Jack. If necessary, Game 3 goes Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Led by an all-star performance by reigning CIS player of the year Graham Vigrass, who posted 17 kills and a 44 per cent attach efficiency, the Dinos hit nearly 34 per cent as a team on the night en route to the victory.

After spotting the Bobcats an early lead in the first set, the block turned things around for Calgary as Vigrass scored back-to-back rejections of Paul Robidoux and Dan Boutwell to tie it. The sequence ended as a 6-0 run for Calgary, which led the rest of the way and took a 25-21 lead on yet another block, this time from Vigrass and Blankenau.

Brandon shot out to a quick 5-0 lead in the second set, forcing the Dinos into a time out after a good serving run by Boutwell. After trailing by five at 7-2 as well, Calgary made a push and took the lead at 11-10, eventually stretching that to 13-10 before the Bobcats got into the blocking game, paced by substitute Jeremy Stubler. Brandon did finally regain the momentym and took the lead for good at 19-18 on a kill by Sam Tuivai, and Jonathan Sloane pounded one of his 11 kills on the night to end the second 25-21 for Brandon.

The third was tight early, and all Calgary from then on. Behind a solid serve, the Dinos broke it open after trailing 8-7 and ended the frame on an 18-7 run, with Allen Meek and Greg Mann leading the way offensively. Two straight blocks late in the set sent Meek back to the service line, and he aced Brendan White to put the Dinos a set away from taking the match.

Again, Brandon shot out to an early lead and the Bobcats were up by as many as four at 11-7, then held a three-point edge when Boutwell pounded a kill to send Brandon into the technical time out up 16-13. But there the wheels fell off for Brandon, while the Dinos made the most of their chances: three straight Brandon errors tied it at 16, while a pair of Mann kills put Calgary up for good and the Bobcats couldn't recover. The match ended, fittingly, on a Calgary block, with Vigrass and Chris Hoag combining to stuff Ben Glue for a 25-20 win.

Glue and Tuivai, the New Zealanders, were the offensive catalysts for Brandon, with Tuivai leading the way at 14 kills. Glue added 12, while Sloane went 11-for-19 without a single error to hit .579 for Brandon.

For the Dinos, Vigrass' stat line was exceptional, with 17 kills on 32 swings along with five digs and nine blocks. Meek added 14 kills and six digs, while Mann had a solid night on the left side with 13 kills and seven digs. Blankenau led Calgary with nine digs, chipping in six blocks as well, as the Dinos out-stuffed the Bobcats by a 15-7.5 margin.

Brandon will look to force Game 3 with a win Saturday night, with first serve slated for 7 p.m. MT live on CanadaWest.tv.

Source: Calgary Sports Info

EDMONTON - In the first match of the best-of-three Canada West Men’s Volleyball Quarter-Finals at the Saville Community Sport Centre in Edmonton, the No.4 ranked University of Alberta Golden Bears dispatched of the No.8 University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-28).

On this night, Mitch Irvine was the star for the Golden Bears as the native of Red Deer, Alberta, led all hitters with 13 kills while adding 13 digs defensively. Third-year setter Jarron Mueller registered 28 assists in the win.

For the visitors, outside hitter Jarrid Ireland pounded 10 balls, while Robert Bennett added eight kills and five digs in a losing effort. 

In the first set, the T-Birds early defensive miscues allowed the Bears to take a quick 10-5 lead before overpowering hitting from Bennett brought the Thunderbirds even. An exciting and close set saw the Bears close it out with a 7-2 run.

Impressive defensive play on both sides of the net defined the second set, as the Bears and T-Birds both managed to dig up 18 attacks. Blocking was the difference as the home team rejected 6.5 hitting attempts to the visitors’ two. The Bears’ ability to put together two impressive runs, one 5-0 and another 10-3, put them ahead for good to take the set 25-17.

In the third set, Alberta’s offense continued to roll, out-hitting the struggling visitors 14-7. The set and match ended on a largely anti-climactic note as Thunderbird hitter Sjur Godø , subbed in to serve, but put two of the final three balls into the net to seal the 25-18 University of Alberta win, and the game one series lead.

Game two of the Quarter-Final Match up goes tomorrow night at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton.

Source: Alberta Sports Info