Pilots volleyball perfect to start MCAC season

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This article was published 01/11/2024 (261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In what will go down as an important season for the Providence Pilots volleyball program, the team got off to a winning start in Manitoba play this weekend, with both the men’s and women’s teams picking up straight sets victories over Assiniboine Community College in Niverville Oct. 26.

The Pilots are hosting the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national men’s volleyball championships this season, which will take place in Niverville March 5-8.

Hosting rights come with an automatic berth in the national championships, meaning Providence doesn’t need to defend last year’s Mantioba Colleges Athletic Conference championship to advance to the finals this season.

That isn’t stopping the team, led by head coach Paul Armbruster, from aiming high during the regular season.

“We’re not there yet,” Armbruster said, noting the team’s experience at nationals last year showed them how good they need to be to compete.

“We have some desires that this season goes well, but we’ve got to keep working and improving and growing to be able to play at (a) nationals level.”

Armbruster put his team through an intense pre-season schedule, playing 25 games before the action began for real.

“I thought it was really valuable and important for us to get a lot of games in the pre-season,” Armbruster said.

“We’ve continued to improve a little bit, a little bit, a little bit and that is the key to success.”

Assiniboine came out strong in the first set, with their front row players able to read the potent Pilots attack and force a dismal seven % success rate on kills.

Despite that offensive hiccup, Providence rallied to get back into the game, finishing the game with a success rate of over 30%.

“Their block put us in some difficult situations and we didn’t fully respond,” Armbruster said.

“It was a group effort today. We had some decent process here in our game today I’m happy about.”

Freshman outside hitter Cayden Williams flipped the match for Providence with one of the most athletic plays you’ll see on a volleyball court. He first saved a ball from hitting the floor while leaping over his own bench, then ran back into the play and executed on a kill to earn a key first set point.

“He was key to creating a little more urgency, and he executed well,” Armbruster said, noting Williams was bleeding after the play and needed medical attention before returning.

The Glenlawn High School graduate also went on a serving run in the first set, knocking home three aces on four services to give Providence their first lead of the game. He was named the Pilots’ best player of the match post-game.

For the Providence women’s team, there is no guaranteed nationals spot, and motivation to end the season with a championship is high.

Last season the Pilots thought they had the championship won, when the head umpire pointed their direction on match point in the fourth set, before overturning the decision. Canadian Mennonite University would battle back to win the fourth and then fifth sets to claim the title.

Reigning MCAC player of the year Tyra Peters and fellow outside hitter and CCAA all-Canadian Serena Algera are back and looking to avenge that finals loss this year.

The Pilots are once again led by head coach Kyle Guenther, who after announcing 2022 would be his final season and returning under an interim label last year, has decided to remain on as the program’s permanent women’s volleyball coach.

“For the most part, we’re rolling with a pretty mature group,” Guenther said.

“Obviously the last two years we haven’t had the finals go the way we want. They’re ready for a different story.”

Assiniboine pushed Providence in the third set, and the team’s maturity showed. After a controversial duel between the team’s two middles led to the ball rolling down the top of the tape and hitting the antenna, referees ruled the point would go ACC’s way.

Instead of going to one of the high-profile outside hitters with the next attack, Providence setter Amanda Bergen instead chose to go right back to the middle, Zoe MacLellan, who knocked home a key kill, helping the home team to a 29-27 third set victory.

“For (Bergen) to have the wherewithal in that moment to do that speaks volumes,” Guenther said.

The MCAC volleyball playoff format has changed this year. Instead of four teams advancing to two semi-finals, the best regular season team will earn a bye to the final, with the second and third-place teams battling to see who will play them.

“The regular season means a lot more and it’s good to have that, because every match means something,” Guenther said.

Canadian Mennonite University, St Boniface and ACC also play volleyball in the MCAC.