MVB: Winnipeg captures first conference title in program history
Wesmen defeat Alberta 3-0 to capture first CW crown
Recap by University of Winnipeg Sports Information
WINNIPEG — For the first time in program history, the Winnipeg Wesmen are the champions of Canada West.
Isaiah Olfert had 16 kills and the Wesmen men's volleyball team made a triumphant statement Saturday, dropping the Alberta Golden Bears 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-21) win in the conference championship game at the Duckworth Centre.
The Wesmen were hosting the conference Final Four for the first time and they made use of their homecourt advantage, rallying from 17-13 down in the third set to set the sold-out Duckworth crowd into a frenzy with a run of seven out of nine points that led to a 20-10 lead.
Aptly, it was Olfert who finished the match with a kill, painting the back corner on an in-system swing that likely gave the Wesmen the top seed in the national tournament that starts March 21 in Brandon.
"We do a lot of preparation — physical and mental preparation — so it's just really great to see the guy execute when it matters and I couldn't ask for anything more," Wesmen head coach Chris Voth said.
"I have no words. I'm speechless. The guys played amazing. They did everything that I asked for, and more."
Luke Lodewyks had 15 kills and six digs for the Wesmen, who attacked at .396 for the night.
Matt Shand had 10 kills on 12 swings with no errors to lead Alberta. Liam Espedido had 10 kills with one error on 17 swings.
Alberta hit .293 for the match.
"I think U of W really showed up to win to win today," Bears head coach Brock Davidiuk said. "I think we showed quite tentative, and that's a tough way to start a match, so you're swimming upstream the whole way. Even in the third, when we had that lead, they were just coming at us the whole time, and we didn't have that kind of presence. That's something that we need to take out of this."
Canada West will have four representatives at the 2025 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball National Championships in Brandon, Man. Joining the Wesmen and Golden Bears will be the Saskatchewan Huskies, who captured the Canada West bronze medal with a reverse sweep of UBC earlier on Saturday, as well as the host Brandon Bobcats.
