ONTARIO READY TO RUMBLE AT HUMBER

Volleyball fans will get a chance to see what the best teams in Canada have to offer this weekend as the CCAA National Men’s Volleyball Championship is ready to rumble at Humber College in Etobicoke.

The Mohawk Mountaineers enter the tournament as the fifth seed after winning the OCAA Championship and will face off against the Quebec rival Cegep Limoilou at 6:00 pm Friday night. There is history between these two teams as they have met already once this year in Quebec over the Christmas break. Mohawk played a solid tournament, but experienced some late game glitches in the fifth set, squandering their lead and falling to the host team 3-2 in the quarter final game. They will have something to prove and redemption on their mind when they take to the court and with a national medal in their sights, they will look to put the past behind them and move into the semi-finals.

Humber will have a bit of work to do if they are to knock off the top ranked Mount Royal Cougars in their opening round match at 8:00 pm, but they will have one distinct advantage… the Humber College hometown crowd. Know for being loud and proud, the house should be full of energy for both Ontario games tomorrow. Humber is a veteran team with a lot of skill and depth and despite their bronze medal finish at the OCAA Provincial Championship, this is a team more than capable of creating some noise of their own.

Regardless of the outcome, there will be a new National Champion for the first time since 1999 as the Red Deer College failed to qualify for the Championship after losing to Briarcrest College Clippers in their semi-final match.

2008 CCAA Men’s National Volleyball Championship seeding is as follows:

1. Mount Royal Cougars – Calgary, Alta.
2. University of British Columbia Okanagan Lakers, Kelowna, B.C.
3. Malaspina University College Mariners – Nanaimo, B.C.
4. Cégep Limoilou Titans – Québec, Que
5. Mohawk College Mountaineers – Hamilton, ON.
6. Briercrest College Clippers – Caronport, Sask.
7. University of King’s College Blue Devils – Halifax, N.S.
8. Humber College Hawks – Etobicoke, ON

The four-day event will kick off tonight with the CCAA All Canadian Awards Banquet beginning at 7:00 p.m. Jasmin Cull (Mohawk) and Ryan Talsma (Redeemer) will be honoured at the event as All-Canadians. The CCAA National Player of the Year and Coaching Award of Excellence will also be presented at the gala event.

Ontario teams have always finished well when hosting the National Championship, never missing a podium finish in five previous occasions. The competition opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday, March 9th in the Humber College Athletic Centre.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday, March 7th
1:00 PM --- (2) Okanagan VS (7) King’s
3:00 PM --- (3) Malaspina VS (6)Briercrest
6:00 PM --- (4) Limoilou VS (5) Mohawk
8:00 PM --- (1)Mount Royal VS (8) Humber

Saturday, March 8th
1:00 PM --- Match 5
3:00 PM --- Match 6
6:00 PM --- Match 7
8:00 PM --- Match 8

Sunday, March 9th

10:00 AM --- Match 9
12:00 PM --- Match 10
2:30 PM --- Match 11
5:00 PM --- Bronze Medal
7:30 PM --- Gold Medal

The Closing Ceremony and Awards Presentation will take place immediately following the final match.