MCAC volleyball provincials coming to Niverville

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This article was published 20/02/2024 (358 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A champion will be crowned in Niverville next weekend, as the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Association hosts volleyball provincials Feb. 24/25.

It’s the first time a MCAC volleyball championship will be hosted inside the new Niverville Community Resource and Recreation Centre (CRRC).

“I’m realizing the impact our sporting events can have when we’re in a facility like the CRRC,” Providence College athletic director Russel Willms said.

“There’s some entertainment value to what we’re doing… The CRRC is a hub for families and the community of Niverville.”

While the final games of the volleyball regular season need to be played, the playoff match-ups are set in both the men’s and women’s side of the bracket.

The host Pilots will enjoy a seeding advantage in both genders, with the women’s team currently sporting a perfect 16-0 record, well ahead of second-place Assiniboine Community College.

The team is veteran-heavy, with one of the leading outside hitters in the country in New Bothwell’s Tyra Peters.

“We have not tested ourselves enough against Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) schools in non-conference competition this year,” Willms said, noting the Pilots are ranked 10th in the country right now.

“Our expectations are fairly high. We can go into this tournament expecting to win, and if we do go beyond that, hopefully represent Manitoba well.”

The men’s team is in second, and their 11-5 record has them locked into that seeding as well.

The winners of both championships will be off to the CCAA nationals in Red Deer (women’s) and Victoria (men’s).

“(Qualifying for nationals) brings an added meaning to what a tournament like this is to the athletes and spectators,” Willms said, noting the MCAC has been part of the national organizing body for three years now.

“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to represent the province… it’s a next step to something bigger and better.”

The action will kick off at noon on Saturday, as the women’s team takes on basement-dwelling St Boniface in the first semi-final of the tournament.

The men will be in action at 6 p.m., taking on Assiniboine in a two versus three match-up. In the men’s division, the CMU Blazers own the top seed, and are nationally ranked.

The Pilots volleyball teams finish the regular season with a pair of games in Brandon against Assiniboine Feb. 16/17. In basketball action, the University of St Boniface will be hosting provincials this year, beginning on March 1, a week after the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships in Plymouth, Minnesota.

The basketball teams finish their regular season with a match-up against St Boniface Feb. 16 in Niverville.

The CRRC will be busy over the next few weeks, hosting provincial hockey tournaments (U15 and U18) in the weekends following the MCAC championship.