(Fort McMurray, AB) Before 1200 spectators, the MacEwan College Griffins won the Coldwell Banker Fort McMurray 2009 CCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship, held on March 12-14.

The Griffins faced the undefeated and number one seeded Limoilou Titans, playing before a full house of volleyball aficionados on Saturday, March 14, winning Gold.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Jon Heinen, Griffins Coach. “This is not a small tournament. While our season has been up and down, the guys played their best match against Limoilou, which is exactly what was needed,” he enthused.

The Bronze went to the Camosun College Chargers from British Columbia defeating the Algonquin Thunder.

Upon his arrival in Fort McMurray, Heinen had promised that the team would represent Alberta well, and he delivered on the promise. “We are well-prepared. The Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre is a wonderful facility that has used the space well. We expect a good competition,” he had said in a prior interview.

A good competition was indeed the case. MacEwan who was seeded number two, won the first set 25-17, with the second one going to Limoilou, but the last two sets would go to MacEwan again for the victory.

Christopher Womack, MacEwan Griffins captain won the Player of the Tournament award. MacEwan also won the Fair Play Award for best sportsmanship throughout the event.

Wade Kolmel, Huskies Athletic Director and Co-Chair for the host committee said the final match was hard-fought and surprising.

“It was great to see the Griffins win. It was Limoilou’s first defeat of the season, and the match was both surprising and emotional,” Kolmel said.

Michelle Dolmont, who co-chairs the tournament said the final match was more amazing and exciting than she could have imagined. “The fan support from our community was unbelievable. To have sold out games for the bronze and gold just shows the Big Spirit our community truly does have,” she said.

Official Final Standing:

Gold – MacEwan College Griffins (Edmonton, AB)
Silver – Cégep Limoilou Titans (Québec, QC)
Bronze – Camosun College Chargers (Victoria, BC)
4th Place – Algonquin College Thunder (Ottawa, ON)
5th Place (Tie) - Keyano College (AB) and Fraser Valley (BC)
7th Place - Seneca College Sting (North York, ON)
8th Place- University of New Brunswick-Saint John Seawolves (Saint John, NB)

The CCAA All-Tournament Team Awards were announced and presented during the Closing Ceremony.

2nd All-Star Team

Alwyn Piche (Keyano)
Justin Boudreault (Limoilou)
Tommy Belisle (Limoilou)
Costa Solanakis (Algonquin)
Derek Fletcher (Fraser Valley)
Dan Goodburn (Camosun)

1st All-Star Team

Mark Breakwell (MacEwan)
William Pasieka (MacEwan)
Ryan Debruyn (Algonquin)
Frederic Mondou (Limoilou)
Pierre-Alexis Lapointe(Limoilou)
Aleks Saddlemeyer (Camosun)

Tournament Most Valuable Players: Chris Womack (MacEwan College)

Fair Play Award: MacEwan College

The CCAA and the Host Organizing Committee would like to thank our national sponsors for their support and efforts in making this Championship possible, including Baden Sports – Official Volleyball (15-0C) Supplier of the CCAA, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, WestJet and Sport Canada. For more information and complete results, please visit the 2009 CCAA Men’s National Volleyball Championship website at - http://www.keyano.ca/ccaa/schedule.asp

The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association is a national sport organization that enriches the lives of student-athletes through intercollegiate competition.

Colette Struthers
CCAA Communications and Events Coordinator
Tel: 613.933.6080 ext. 2211/ Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it