OTTAWA (CIS) – The reigning national champion Trinity Western University Spartans, along with three Canada West rivals, hope to resume their conference's domination of CIS men's volleyball this weekend in Kingston, Ont.

The eight-team CIS championship, hosted for the first time by Queen's University, kicks off Friday with the quarter-final round and concludes on Sunday with the gold-medal final set for 4 p.m.

SSN Canada – in partnership with Queen's QTV - will have live webcasts of all 11 matches, including the main and consolation brackets.

The Spartans, who a year ago captured the second Tantramar Trophy in program history thanks to a straight-set win over Brandon on their home court in Langley, B.C., are seeded No. 1 heading into this week's competition. Trinity Western is coming off a thrilling 3-2 victory against the Manitoba Bisons in the Canada West title match.

Also competing for CIS supremacy in Kingston will be second-seeded Manitoba, No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or (RSEQ champions), No. 4 Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West bronze medallists), No. 5 Queen's Gaels (OUA champions and hosts), No. 6 Calgary Dinos (Canada West fourth-place finishers), No. 7 Western Mustangs (OUA finalists) and No. 8 Dalhousie Tigers (AUS champions).

The West domination of CIS men's volleyball is well-documented.

Since Laval claimed its third national title in five seasons back in 1994, teams currently competing in the Canada West conference (including schools from the now defunct Great Plains conference) have won 17 consecutive banners. In fact, since Sherbrooke captured its lone title in 1975, the coveted trophy has been hoisted by Western teams 33 times in 36 years.

Nine of the last 10 CIS finals have been contested between Canada West schools, with the exception being a straight-set Alberta win over Laval in 2009. Over the same period, the CWUAA has swept the national podium nine times.

On Friday, Trinity Western opens its title defence in the last quarter-final match-up of opening day, an 8 p.m. affair against Dalhousie. The other first-round contests will see Laval battle Calgary at 1 p.m., Manitoba face Western at 3 p.m., and Alberta square off against host Queen's at 6 p.m.

The Spartans have been as dominant as ever this season. Behind the strong play of setter Ben Ball, the Canada West MVP, and right side Rudy Verhoeff, the 2011 CIS championship MVP, they maintained a sparkling 31-2 overall record versus Canadian university opponents, including a CIS-best 19-1 mark in conference play.

Their quarter-final rival, Dalhousie, returns to the CIS tournament after missing the event for the first time since 1979 a year ago. The Tigers, who swept the best-of-three AUS final over UNB two weeks ago, have never won the Tantramar Trophy, their lone appearance in the CIS final dating back to 1997.

“This season has gone close to the way we mapped it out at the beginning of the year,” says Trinity Western head coach Ben Josephson. “We knew we would have a very talented and deep team and knew that if we trained well, prepared and performed that we would be in the hunt for the league title.

“Our hope for the national tournament is to embody all of the aspects to our team's development into three matches. The guys have trained really hard all season long on and off the court preparing themselves for this opportunity. Now the beard has been grown and it's time for us to try to turn preparation into performance. If we are able to play with passion equal to our purpose I believe we will have a great tournament in Kingston.”

Dan Ota, in his 13th season leading the Tigers, is confident despite the first-round match-up against the defending champions.

“We are a team that has improved considerably in the second term. After dealing with injuries and chemistry issues for most of the season, our team has made major strides over the past month and I believe that we are playing our best volleyball of the season going into the CIS championship. We will be in tough with the quality of teams at the tournament and having to face the defending national champions in the first round, but we certainly look forward to the challenge.”

On the same side of the draw, seven-time national champion Alberta is set to face host Queen's for a spot in the semifinals.

The Golden Bears, Canada West bronze medallists this season, saw their amazing streak of nine consecutive appearances in the national semis – and nine straight podium finishes – come to an end a year ago, when they lost a five-set heartbreaker to Trinity Western in the opening round en route to a fifth-place finish.

The Gaels are on a high following a 3-2 upset win against Western in the OUA final and now hope to thrill their hometown fans with another upset on Friday.

The two teams battled in non-conference action back on Oct. 21 in Calgary with Alberta coming away with a narrow 3-2 victory.

“In a year with a lot of tough teams in Canada West, the focus has been to show up every day you play and to work hard at getting better every time out,” says Alberta head coach Terry Danyluk. “The approach to the CIS championship will be the same.”

“This season has been a bit of a Cinderella story for us,” comments Queen's head coach Brenda Willis. “We started the season 1 and 3, and really had to go back to the drawing board on a number of things. We started working with an outstanding sports psychologist, and moved some players in and out of the line-up. It took all fall to settle into a stable line-up and I think we really started to come together in the second half. Joren Zeeman certainly stepped up when it mattered and having Niko Rukavina back in power also made us more three dimensional.”

Zeeman, a three-time all-Canadian outside hitter, earned OUA-MVP honours in his final season with the Gaels.

In the other bracket, Manitoba opens the championship against Western, while Laval and Calgary face off in the other quarter-final.

Manitoba is finally back at the CIS tournament after missing the event each of the past five years. The Bisons, who last hoisted the Tantramar Trophy in 2003, would set a new record should they triumph on Sunday. They are currently tied with Winnipeg with 10 national banners.

The Canada West finalists are enjoying a remarkable season. They were the only team to defeat top-ranked Trinity Western in league play and hold a 29-5 overall mark against CIS opponents, including three straight non-conference wins over No. 3 Laval in mid-October.

Despite an upset loss to Queen's in the OUA title match, Western is also enjoying a great campaign. The Mustangs finished first in Ontario in the regular season with a 16-2 record and will compete for the Tantramar Trophy for the first time since 2001.

“It has been a great season so far as the team has played well throughout the long, tough Canada West schedule,” says Manitoba head coach Garth Pischke, in his 31st season at the helm. “We are looking forward to the championship. The team is really playing well right now and looks forward to the tough challenge of going against lots of excellent opponents. We expect intense match-ups this weekend.”

“We are looking forward to the championship,” remarks Western mentor Jim Sage. “It is a tough draw, but I think we are up for the challenge. We are very proud of our team for winning the league and competing hard in OUA Final Four, but there is more work to be done.”

The Laval-Calgary match-up should offer plenty of fireworks as the two teams have developed an intense rivalry over the years and feature some of the best players in the country, including Rouge et Or left side Karl De Granpré, a three-time all-Canadian, and Dino middle Graham Vigrass, a former CIS player of the year and CIS championship MVP.

A year ago, Calgary edged Laval 18-16 in the fifth and decisive set of the CIS bronze-medal game. The Rouge et Or partially avenged that loss earlier this season, on January 7, with a straight-set head-to-head win at the University of Saskatchewan's tournament.

The reigning seven-time RSEQ champions are looking to capture the fourth Tantramar Trophy in school history, their first since 1994. The Dinos are four-time CIS champs, most recently in 2010.

“We're really happy with our season so far. It's kind of similar to last year, but we made sure we faced even stiffer competition throughout the season,” says Laval head coach Pascal Clément. “We hosted Manitoba for three games and even though they didn't qualify for the national championship last year, we knew they'd be one of the top teams in the country this season. We also faced the national development team twice, and then the Dinos in Saskatoon. We hope this extra attention to details in our preparation will pay off this weekend.

“Like many teams at the CIS championship, we have very high expectations. It's fantastic to kick off the tournament against a team like Calgary. They are always a tough opponent and have a key player in Vigrass. It's great to face such great opposition right from the get go.”

Calgary's Rod Durrant also praised his first-round opponents.

“Laval is a very good team. They have by far one of the best left side players in the country, and he's going to be important in that game. He's going to get volume and points, and we'll have to slow him down as best as we can to be successful.

“We need to play the way we know this team can play, and learn from some of the adversity we've gone through this year. We have an opportunity, but we're going to do the little things well and play at our highest level of competition. We've earned the right to be at the national championship, and our expectation is to go out there and play our best this weekend.”

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

No. 1 Trinity Western Spartans
Head Coach: Ben Josephson (5th season)
Regular season record: 19-1
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 31-2
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 1 (all 14 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 14
Conference award winners: Ben Ball (MVP), Jarrod Offereins (libero), Rudy Verhoeff (volleyball, academics & community service), Ben Josephson (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Ben Ball (setter), Rudy Verhoeff (outside/middle)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Steven Marshall (left side)
CIS championship best result: 2-time champions (2011, 2006)
CIS championship last appearance: 2011 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd consecutive appearance (7th in 9 years)

No. 2 Manitoba Bisons
Head Coach: Garth Pischke (31st season)
Regular season record: 18-2
Regular season standing: 2nd Canada West
Playoff record: 3-1
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 29-5
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 2 (last 8 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 14
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Dana Pischke (right side), Chris Voth (left side)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: None
CIS championship best result: 10-time champions (2003, 2001, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1991, 1985, 1984, 1980, 1978)
CIS championship last appearance: 2006 (bronze)
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance in 6 years

No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or
Head Coach: Pascal Clément (20th season)
Regular season record: 17-0
Regular season standing: 1st RSEQ
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: RSEQ champions
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 25-3
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): No. 3
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 3 (last 4 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 14
Conference award winners: Karl De Granpré (MVP), Tommy Bélisle (rookie), Pierre-Alexis Lapointe (libero), Justin Boudreault (volleyball, academics & community service), Pascal Clément (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Karl De Granpré (left side), Tommy Bélisle (right side), Justin Boudreault (setter), Jérémie Lortie (middle)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: No second team in RSEQ
CIS championship best result: 3-time champions (1994, 1992, 1990)
CIS championship last appearance: 2011 (4th place)
CIS championship sequence: 15th consecutive appearance (29th in 31 years – Missed 1997, 1993)

No. 4 Alberta Golden Bears
Head Coach: Terry Danyluk (19th season)
Regular season record: 15-5
Regular season standing: 3rd Canada West
Playoff record: 3-1
Playoff finish: Canada West bronze medallists
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 23-11
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): No. 4
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 2 (first 6 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 14
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Mitch Irvine (left side)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Jarrod Mueller (setter)
CIS championship best result: 6-time champions (2009, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1997, 1981)
CIS championship last appearance: 2011 (5th place)
CIS championship sequence: 12th consecutive appearance (19th in 20 years – Missed 2000)

No. 5 Queen's Gaels
Head Coach: Brenda Willis (25th season)
Regular season record: 12-6
Regular season standing: 3rd OUA
Playoff record: 3-0
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 18-12
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): No. 10
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 10 (last poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 1
Conference award winners: Joren Zeeman (MVP), Niko Rukavina (libero)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Joren Zeeman (outside)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Michael Amoroso (middle), Niko Rukavina (libero)
CIS championship best result: 5th place (2010, 2006)
CIS championship last appearance: 2010 (5th place)
CIS championship sequence: Return after one-year absence (4th appearance in 7 years)

No. 6 Calgary Dinos
Head Coach: Rod Durrant (6th season)
Regular season record: 11-9
Regular season standing: 4th Canada West
Playoff record: 2-3
Playoff finish: Canada West 4th place
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 19-18
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): No. 6
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 4 (4 weeks: polls 1, 2, 4, 5)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 14
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Graham Vigrass (middle)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: None
CIS championship best result: 4-time champions (2010, 1993, 1989, 1982)
CIS championship last appearance: 2011 (bronze)
CIS championship sequence: 3rd consecutive appearance (17th in 26 years)

No. 7 Western Mustangs
Head Coach: Jim Sage (14th season)
Regular season record: 16-2
Regular season standing: 1st OUA
Playoff record: 1-1
Playoff finish: OUA finalists
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 28-7
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): No. 5
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 5 (last 3 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 14
Conference award winners: Jim Sage (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Phil James (middle), Mathieu Poulin (right side), Garrett May (left side)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Mathew Waite (middle)
CIS championship best result: information not available
CIS championship last appearance: 2001 (6th place)
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance in 11 years

No. 8 Dalhousie Tigers
Head Coach: Dan Ota (13th season)
Regular season record: 12-5
Regular season standing: 1st AUS
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 17-8
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 14): Unranked
Best Top 10 ranking: No. 7 (first 2 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (14 polls): 3
Conference award winners: Connor Maessen (rookie), Daniel You (volleyball, academics & community service), Dan Ota (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Kenneth Rauwerda (right side), Graeme Higgins (left side), Daniel You (middle)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: No second team in AUS
CIS championship best result: Finalists (1997)
CIS championship last appearance: 2011 (tied 7th place)
CIS championship sequence: Return after one-year absence (32nd appearance in 33 years)

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

NOTE: Live webcast of all games on SSN Canada – in partnership with QTV.

Thursday, March 1
9:30 All-Canadian Awards Breakfast (Ambassador Hotel)
11:15 Press conference (Ambassador Hotel)
13:00 to 20:30 Team practices (90 minutes per team)

Friday, March 2
13:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 3 Laval vs. No. 6 Calgary
15:00 Quarter-final #2: No. 2 Manitoba vs. No. 7 Western
18:00 Quarter-final #3: No. 4 Alberta vs. No. 5 Queen's
20:00 Quarter-final #4: No. 1 Trinity Western vs. No. 8 Dalhousie

Saturday, March 3
13:00 Consolation #1: Loser QF #1 vs. Loser QF #2
15:00 Consolation #2: Loser QF #3 vs. Loser QF #4
18:00 Semifinal #1: Winner QF #1 vs. Winner QF #2
20:00 Semifinal #2: Winner QF #3 vs. Winner QF #4

Sunday, March 4
11:00 5th place
13:00 Bronze medal
16:00 Championship final