CW Men’s volleyball playoffs set for high-flying action

Catch all the action on CWTV presented by Co-op

Brian Swane, special to CW

It was the beginning of May 2021 when Canada West announced a revised playoff structure for the 2021-22 volleyball season, and anticipation has been building ever since for one of the most unique postseasons seen in university sports.

After 10 months, the wait is finally over, as the 2022 men’s volleyball playoffs get underway this weekend with 12 teams in pursuit of the Costa Chrysanthou Trophy.

The first round unfolds March 3-5, with three four-team pools, being hosted by Trinity Western University, home of the defending conference champion Spartans, as well as the University of Alberta and University of Winnipeg.

The top two teams in each pool will advance to the second round, which will feature two pools of three teams in competition March 11-13. Canada West Final Four will follow, March 18 to 19, comprised of the top two teams from both Round 2 pools.

Pool A hosted by Trinity Western University at Langley Events Centre in Langley

Brandon (9-9, 2^nd in East Division)

• Of Note: The Bobcats spent more time on the court than any other Canada West team this season, playing a conference-high 77 sets, an average of 4.28 per match
• One to Watch: Fourth-year setter Jake Fleming is co-captain and most experienced member of the Bobcats, having been part of Brandon’s 2019 Canada West championship team.

Mount Royal (7-11, 3^rd in Central Division)

• Of Note: The Cougars are in their third straight postseason, following a trip to the U Sports Championship in 2019 and a 2020 Canada West quarter-finals appearance.
• One to Watch: First-year outside hitter Chris Byam ranked third in Canada West for kills per set at 4.25 and fourth for number of kills with 251.

Thompson Rivers (6-10, 4^th in West Division)

• Of Note: The Wolfpack are looking to a win a postseason match for the first time since capturing Canada West bronze in 2014.
• One to Watch: Fifth-year setter Anton Napolitano ended the regular season just two aces short of tying TRU great Brad Gunter for the all-time program lead.

Trinity Western (15-1, 1^st in West Division)

• Of Note: The Spartans were undefeated at home this season, going 9-0 at the Langley Events Centre with five of those victories coming in straight sets.
• One to Watch: Third-year outside hitter Brodie Hofer led Canada West with a .398 hitting percentage, more than doubling his rate as a first year player in 2018-19.

Pool B hosted by University of Alberta at Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton

Alberta (15-3, 1^st in Central Division)

• Of note: The Golden Bears advanced to the 2020 Canada West championship in Langley, where they battled Trinity Western, coming up just short 21-25, 21-25, 22-25.
• One to Watch: Golden Bears fifth-year setter Max Elgert was a first team Canada West All-Star and received the Wilson Challenge Trophy as Alberta’s top male athlete in 2020.

Saskatchewan (9-9, 3^rd in East Division)

• Of Note: The Huskies are making a third consecutive playoff appearance, after reaching the quarter-finals in 2019 and 2020.
• One to Watch: Fourth-year outside hitter Dylan Mortenson, the 2018 U Sports Rookie of the Year, played 18 games after having his 2019-20 season cut short due to injury

UBC (10-6, 2^nd in West Division)

• Of Note: The T-Birds last won a conference title in 1986, but are the second most-recent national champ, soaring to gold at the 2018 U Sports Men’s Volleyball Championship.
• One to Watch: Fourth-year outside hitter Zac Johnson, who is a multi-time Academic All-Canadian, was the only UBC player to appear in all 16 regular season matches.

UFV (1-15, 5^th in West Division)

• Of Note: The Cascades made their Canada West debut in 2021-22, and earned their first conference win on Feb. 20, 3-2 over UBC Okanagan at the UFV Athletic Centre.
• One to Watch: Second-year left side Nimo Benne was the star of UFV’s historic first win, leading the Cascades in kills, blocks, aces and digs for the match.

Pool C hosted by University of Winnipeg at Duckworth Centre in Winnipeg

Calgary (13-5, 2^nd in Central Division)

• Of note: The Dinos ended the season on the longest active win streak in Canada West, with four consecutive victories, and are 7-1 in their last eight matches.
• One to Watch: Third-year middle Lincoln Baines was not only the runaway leader in Canada West, but he also ranks No. 1 in all of U Sports with 97 total blocks.

Manitoba (7-11, 4^th in East Division)

• Of Note: The Bisons are the only team in Pool C that played at the Duckworth Centre the last two years, going 0-3 against Winnipeg in a trio of regular season matches.
• One to Watch: Third-year middle Brendan Warren is a multiple-time Canada West blocks leader in previous seasons and recorded 60 blocks in 2021-22.

UBC Okanagan (8-8, 3^rd in West Division)

• Of Note: The Heat were the only team to defeat Trinity Western this season, earning their first ever victory over the Spartans, in straight sets at home on Feb. 25.
• One to Watch: Fifth-year outside hitter Maxwell Heppell recorded 23 services aces in 2021-22, establishing a new UBCO single-season record.

Winnipeg (11-7, 1^st in East Division)

• Of Note: The Wesmen led Canada West with 684 digs and were the only team in the conference to average double-digit digs, with a rate of 10.21 per set.
• One to Watch: Fifth-year right side Daniel Thiessen set Winnipeg’s Canada West record when he recorded the 1,090 kill of his career on Feb. 25.

You can catch all the action on CWTV presented by Co-op. For complete updates and results, visit the playoff page.

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