Providence 3-peat as MCAC champions heading into Niverville-hosted nationals

The Providence Pilots men’s volleyball team couldn’t be going into their hosted nationals in a better spot.

The team completed a Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference three-peat, sweeping Canadian Mennonite University in a three-match final in Winnipeg Feb. 21 and 22. The Pilots boasted a 17-1 record in conference play, with their only blemish a November loss to CMU.

The Pilots looked unstoppable all season, and carried that into the finals sweeping the first match 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-21) and clinching the championship with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-22) victory the next day.

“It had to do with some of our experience,” Providence head coach Paul Armbruster responded when asked what went into a dominant finals performance.

“There’s four or five guys that have been here for three years, and their desire to get a three-peat was really strong and they were motivated this weekend. Credit to our leadership group.”

Armbruster gave credit to CMU, who also qualified for nationals as Manitoba’s representative alongside the host Pilots, noting the second match of the final was the Blazers best performance of the season in his opinion, specifically praising libero David Nelson for his outstanding play and leadership on the court.

It took a strong effort from Providence to clinch the title, after an excellent first match performance. Armbruster said the teams passing and attacking were never quite on the same page, but when one lagged behind, the other was good enough to keep momentum.

Noah Boschman, one of those three-year players was not only his usual brilliant attacking self, but brought an incredible edge at the service line. Armbruster said it was Boschman’s best service game he’s seen during his time at Providence.

“(Boschman) plays with an excellent ability to be super composed, but also compete with a lot of effort and intensity,” Armbruster said.

Boschman was named the finals player of the match following game two.

“I was feeling it today, I’ve been working on (serving) the past month,” Boschman said.

“I’ve got to give credit, the balls were brand new, so they were definitely helping me out there.”

The Pilots were locked into a spot at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championships by virtue of hosting, but that hasn’t stopped the team from aiming high in the MCAC season this year.

“We knew every practice that we had the past couple months we had to stay focused,” Boschman said.

Providence middle Sebastian Verdaguer was named the conference player of the year before the finals began. Boschman and libero Hector Ortiz were also named to the all-conference team.

Verdaguer picked up several key points in the clinching match, including a couple first time smashes back into the CMU court. Those kinds of points prompt some of the biggest reactions from teammates on the court.

“It’s straight to the face, and it’s about as rude as a play you can get without saying anything,” Verdaguer said.

For Armbruster, the job now turns to scouting the competition which will be joining CMU and Providence in Niverville for nationals. The coaching staff has already begun the long work of crunching video to see what the team can do to compete.

The Pilots went to the CCAA’s men’s national championships last season, but went winless.

“We’ve got some high goals, we want to make some history,” Armbruster said.

“Even though our enrollment in the school might not be the biggest, we’ve got some high aspirations… When it comes down to this time of the year, the mental game is huge. Who can stay composed, who can stay confident, who can stay focused.”

Providence’s nationals journey begins March 5, with their first match set to begin at 6 p.m.

“We’re going to come out swinging,” Boschman said.

The CMU and Providence men’s and women’s basketball teams were also busy this weekend, battling to the finals of the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference finals, with CMU winning the women’s and Providence winning the men’s.

The teams will re-match for the Manitoba championship this weekend in games hosted at CMU.