The 2022-23 Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) volleyball season had four teams battle in a highly competitive and entertaining regular season to earn a chance to win the conference championship trophy in 2023. Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) Les Rouges is the host of this year’s MCAC Volleyball Championship on February 25-26 in Winnipeg.
Les Rouges Assistant Director of Sport and Recreation Eric Lemoine commented about hosting the Championship: “USB is thrilled to be hosting the 2022-23 MCAC volleyball championships. The parity of the league and the high level of play has been most impressive this year, it will surely be a great weekend of competition with berths at CCAA nationals on the line.”
This season saw all four teams compete in 18 regular season matches to determine final playoff seeding.
Semi Final #1: #1 seed Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) Les Rouges vs. #4 seed Assiniboine Community College (ACC) Cougars – 4 p.m. CT start on Saturday, February 25
This is a repeat of last year’s semi final meeting where USB won 3-0 at ACC. Both teams played each other seven times in the 2022-23 regular season with Les Rouges prevailing in six of those matches.
Saint-Boniface, the defening champs, enters this year’s playoffs with a 14-4 record, had a seven match win streak to start the season and holds the number 11 spot in the latest Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) national ranking (they were ranked as high as ninth earlier).
Les Rouges are led by three All-Conference players with third year libero Jenna Campbell, second year left side Valeria Gonzalez and fifth year setter Samuelle Lemoine. Campbell and Lemoine were also All Conference selections in 2021-22. Lemoine earned 2022-23 Player of the Year honours as she led the conference in assists in this season at 521. The defending champs seek to make it back-to-back titles and capture their fifth title in program history in 2023.
Head coach Evan Turenne, in his fourth year, has the team focused on winning another championship and being in a championship final for a third consecutive season.
The Cougars improved by six wins from last season record. They were the hottest team to start the New Year as the won four of five contests in January and finished fourth with a 6-12 record in 2022-23.
One of the January wins was against Les Rouges by a 3-2 result at home on Jan. 21 and that is the blueprint to produce the playoff upset in the semi final.
ACC had first year outside hitter Elle Snyder named as an All Conference as she was first in MCAC in kills per set at 4.0 while the squad went 3-4 on the road this year.
First year ACC’s head coach Kevin Neufeld is looking for the same effort as the last time the two teams met in January and pull off the win to make a run to a first ever championship for the Cougars.
Semi Final #2: #2 seed Providence University College (PUC) Pilots vs. #3 seed Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) Blazers – 6 p.m. CT start on Saturday, February 25
To finish the first day of championship weekend, expect a close match. Both teams have played tight games throughout this year as the last two were five setters won both by PUC. The Pilots lead the season series 4-2 so far this year.
There were only two wins separating both teams in the MCAC standings as Providence went 9-9 for second place.
The Pilots are led by their two All Conference selections in third year middle and co-captain Alex Buhler and second year left side Tyra Peters. Buhler was also All Conference selections in 2021-22.
Seventh year PUC’s head coach Kyle Guenther was named 2022-23 MCAC Coach of the Year and is looking to reverse last year’s semi final result when CMU won 3-0 and then have the Pilots play for a championship, one that they have not won since 2018.
The Blazers won two of the last three matches heading into the playoffs. They have battled hard against the Pilots and won twice so far this season versus them. CMU also won a crucial match to complete the regular season when they defeated ACC by a 3-0 margin on the road on Feb. 18 to secure third place with a 7-1 record.
Second year left side Rachel Bartel was selected as All Conference as she registered 159 kills, good for third in MCAC.
Fifth year CMU’s head coach Jayme Menzies goal is to guide the team to a third consecutive championship final and to win a fifth title and first since the 2019-20 season.
2023 MCAC Women’s Volleyball Championship
Hosted by: Université de Saint-Boniface (USB); Central Time listed
Saturday, February 25
4 p.m. Semi Final: #1 USB Les Rouges vs. #4 ACC Cougars
6 p.m. Semi Final: #2 PUC Pilots vs. #3 CMU Blazers
Sunday, February 26
3 p.m. Women’s Championship Final: Semi Final #1 winner vs. Semi Final #2 winner
Live webcast for all Championship matches at: youtube.com/lesrougesUSB
