(TORONTO - January 6, 2011) CCAA REPORT - The CCAA women’s volleyball season is a real horse race once again. In fact, there was a bottleneck atop the national rankings early on, with the three top teams deadlocked.

They were the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat from Kelowna (now No. 4) the Mount Royal Cougars from Calgary (No. 3) and the Francois-Xavier-Garneau Elans from Quebec City (now No.2)

But, as of the end of November, the Vancouver Island university Mariners, based in Nanaimo, were tops in the nation, so add them to the mix of possible champions. They are hardly newcomers to the CCAA scene – you may remember them as the Malaspina  Mariners.

CCAA national convenor Pierre Nobert says it’s pretty much status quo in women’s play to date. “Each conference’s top 10 were to be expected,” he said, but he singled out the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) as particularly competitive. “Alberta is a big battle to the end – the conference’s top five or six teams can be serious contenders.”

Mount Royal Cougars coach Sandra Lamb agrees. “The ACAC is a strong conference, but we hope to be one of the teams in contention.” For the moment, the team is focussed on earning a provincial title. “First and foremost, we have to take care of Alberta.”

In British Columbia, the UBCO Heat are considered the favourites despite their slip.  The team won back-to-back CCAA national titles in 2009 and 2010 and several key players are returning. “Our student athletes are dedicated and hard-working,” says head coach Steve Manuel. “We know that winning a third National Championship won’t be easy since we know how much work takes to win at this level.”

In the meantime, Garneau coach Julien Paquette is also working his team hard. “We’re focussing on blocking and defence – those will be our weapons,” said Paquette. He has a young team - no third-year players – but there’s an added advantage. “Our players for the previous three years were small, but quick. This year, I have four girls 5’10” to 6 feet.”

Convenor Nobert is also touting the Humber Hawks (No. 5 in the land) in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association and the University of New Brunswick-St John Seawolves of the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association. The Seawolves are hosting the National Championships, but hope to attend as ACAA champs, too.

Eight teams from around the country will compete at the CCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships, which take place March 10-12, 2011 in Saint John.

Women’s Top 10
1. Vancouver Island University
2. Colleges Francois-Xavier-Garneau
3. Mount Royal University
4. University of British Columbia Okanagan
5. Humber College
6. CEGEP de Sherbrooke
7. Grande Prairie Regional College
8. Capilano University
9. Lakeland College
10. Nipissing University

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