Photo credit: Jared Peters

The Providence Pilots women’s volleyball team dropped just one set and allowed more than 19 points only once in two matches en route to the 2018 Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship.

Going into last weekend’s playoffs as the top seed in the province the Pilots beat the Assiniboine Community College Cougars and Canadian Mennonite University Blazers to secure a second MCAC title in three years. The men’s team, also the top seed, dispatched the Red River College Rebels in four sets before losing the championship match in straight sets to CMU.

After watching the Blazers progress to Sunday’s final thanks to a Saturday victory over the host Rebels, the Providence women swept the Cougars 25-18, 25-18, 25-19. Then, in their showdown with CMU, they raced out to a two-set lead before dropping a close third frame and prevailing 25-11 in the fourth.

“I am so proud of this team,” said head coach Kyle Guenther after his players received their medals and the MCAC trophy. “We’ve been working towards this moment for six months, and to cap it off with a championship means so much. Our team has shown so much character in getting through a long season. Through it all, we’ve stuck together as a team, as friends, and as a family.”

Guenther pointed out that the Pilots peaked at exactly the right time and played some of their best volleyball at the most crucial part of the campaign.

“Our offense was spread out nicely, and our passing was some of the best I’ve seen all year. We also played incredible defense,” he said. “We barely let anything score against us all weekend, which is a mindset more than anything else.”

LaDawn Friesen executed 20 kills over the course of the weekend and graduating senior Shayna Staerk added 14 kills, 3 aces and 20 digs. Sam Bridle, also graduating in the spring, contributed an impressive 70 assists to go along with 5 aces and 11 digs.

In the men’s tournament, the Pilots dropped the first set of their semi-final against the Rebels before taking the next three 25-22, 25-21, 25-21. It was, according to Providence head coach Scott Masterson, Red River’s “best match of the season,” and despite winning in four the Pilots lost middle Willie Goossen to injury.

On Sunday the Blazers prevailed 3-0 over the Pilots to retain their title. As Masterson pointed out, CMU made few unforced errors, served well and blocked effectively.

“I thought we started the match very well, and it felt as though we were in control for the first half to three-quarters of the way through that first set,” he said. “Then we gave up a big run to end the first set and gave up a huge run to start the second. I thought we responded very well and stayed focussed on trying to find a way to keep battling for the third set, but once again CMU made big plays when it mattered most.”

Matt Friesen led the way for the Pilots through Saturday and Sunday with a combined 29 kills, 6 blocks and 8 digs, and graduating senior Lucas Pappel added 84 assists.

Down in Iowa, the Providence basketball teams partook in the National Christian College Athletic Association North Region Championship last weekend, with the Pilots men progressing to the final four in Ankeny.

Jordan Lawson’s 21 points propelled the Pilots to a convincing 83-67 win over the host Faith Baptist Bible College Eagles, and Cash Blanca added a further 20 points in Thursday’s quarter-final triumph that set up a semi-final showdown with the Oak Hills Christian College Wolfpack.

Although they were mostly able to defend against the Wolfpack’s three-point threat, the Pilots ended up conceding too many lay-ups to their Minnesota opponents. Lawson again led the Pilots in scoring with 23 points, to go along with Kendall Perpall’s 21, but Oak Hills advanced to the final after beating Providence 94-86.

In the NCCAA women’s tournament, the Pilots also faced the Eagles in the quarter-finals but lost 64-53. Taylor Goodbrandson’s 16 points paced Providence, and Alison Zajac also had a strong game with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Both Pilots basketball teams are now en route to Joplin, MO for the bracket-style Association of Christian College Athletics tournament. Providence is the lone Canadian school participating in the event.

The Pilots men will face Springfield, MO’s Baptist Bible College in their first-round game March 1 while the women will take on hosts Ozark Christian College.