CCAA Volleyball Championship Credited a Major Success

Posted: Mar 21, 2013

March 7-9^th saw Niagara College host the 2013 Ironwood Wealth Management Group CCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship.

Eight teams from across Canada including: the PACWEST's Vancouver Island University Mariners, and Capilano University Blues; from the ACAC the Red Deer College Kings and SAIT Polytechnic Trojans; from the RSEQ the CÉGEP de l'Outaouais Griffons; from the ACAA the University of King's College Blue Devils; and from the OCAA the Nipissing University Lakers and the Niagara College Knights played a total of 13 matches that determined the 2013 National Champion.

The Gold Medal match saw the #3 seed Nipissing Lakers defeat the #1 seed Red Deer Kings in front of a capacity crowd at the Welland Campus Athletic Centre. The Gold Medal victory marks the first time in school history a Nipissing Men's Volleyball team has captured the CCAA's top-prize.

The SAIT Trojans defeated the Vancouver Island Mariners to capture the CCAA Bronze Medal.

Niagara College Manager of Athletics & Recreation Matthew Davies commented "we are very proud to have hosted the 2013 CCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship. Fans had an opportunity to see some of the best men's volleyball in the country. The institutional and community support, ticket sales, and online viewership all helped us create a first-class event."

The three-day event saw over 2600 individual tickets issued, and the marquee evening matches on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night each saw a loud and boisterous capacity crowd in attendance.

The entire Championship was also live broadcasted on the internet via www.sportslive.ca. Over 69 000 total viewers watched the event online, and over 16 000 viewers tuned in to watch the Saturday, March 9^th Gold Medal match between the Lakers and Kings.

Niagara College Vice President Student and External Relations Sean Kennedy commented that "Niagara College is proud to have welcomed the best of collegiate volleyball to our college and our region. Our Athletic Centre was built to host provincial and national-level sporting events, and we are proud to have showcased our facilities, student-athletes and Varsity Athletics program at this high-profile championship."

Over 200 volunteers from the Niagara College community were instrumental in ensuring the event's success. Students from the Niagara News, and Academic Programs including Police Foundations, Community Justice, Event Management, and Broadcasting, Radio, Television and Film were well represented, and their unique skill sets contributed to the professionalism and atmosphere of the Championship.

Leigh Goldie, VP of Programs for the CCAA commented "On behalf of the CCAA, I would like to congratulate Niagara College for hosting an excellent Men's Volleyball National Championship. There was an exciting atmosphere in the gym each day and the volleyball was great. Your army of volunteers were excellent, and they exhibited superb hospitality. You have a beautiful College and it's obvious your people very proud to be a part of it."

The host Niagara College Knights finished fifth in the event after defeating the #2 seeded Capilano Blues in their opening match. The Knights' second opponent was the eventual National Champion Nipissing Lakers. The Knights were defeated three sets to one. The Knights were the only team to win a set against the talented Lakers side. Niagara's Shayne Petrusma was named a CCAA Championship First-Team All-Star for his outstanding performance.

Niagara College Men's Volleyball Program Head Coach Nathan Groenveld felt the event "was an amazing experience for our student-athletes, Niagara College and the Niagara Community. It gave us the opportunity to showcase our world class facility, campus and region. The weekend was a tremendous success on and off the court. Our volleyball program demonstrated that it truly is one of the top programs in the country and moving forward we will continue to build on that success."

Photos, game recaps, and boxscores of the event can be can be downloaded via the Championship Website.

Replays of all 13 matches can be found at www.sportslive.ca.