The Providence Pilots may not have come out on top at this year’s CCAA Women’s Volleyball Nationals held at the Niverville CRRC from March 11–14. They did, however, score big as hosts of the high-calibre event.

Niverville’s Terry Martin was a volunteer on the planning committee. His team worked hard to ensure every detail was looked after, from professional advertising to securing nearby lodging and creating a VIP room with a steady flow of food and drinks throughout the four days.

“The coach from the winning team came up to us and said, ‘This is the best-run tournament we’ve ever been to,’” Martin says. “And this was their fourth time winning the nationals, so they’ve been to many tournaments.”

In a similar vein, the coach of the silver medal team suggested that the event set a new gold standard for tournaments. The CCAA officials couldn’t say enough about the hospitality they experienced.

It’s high praise for a small-town Manitoba team and its supporters. Many of the committee’s volunteers had their first go at planning a tournament of this magnitude last year when Providence hosted the men’s volleyball nationals, also at the CRRC.

A constant flow of fans filled the stands and mezzanine section to cheer the teams to their best performances.

“A highlight for me was that the elementary school brought a busload of kids and the middle school brought a busload of kids and the high school brought some classes, so it was a full gymnasium,” Martin says. “One of the teachers really got them into it and they were chanting, ‘Go Pilots Go!’ And it was really, really cool!”

When female volleyball players reach this calibre of play, Martin says the competitions are incredibly exciting to watch.

“Women’s rallies go on for a long time,” Martin says. “In men’s volleyball, it’s more about power, so you get a lot of kills, making the rallies short and fast. But in the women’s, they were digging up balls that you thought were gone. So they kept the play alive. Just watching it was really gratifying.”

In total, eight college teams rolled into town for the competition, coming from regions as far away as Nova Scotia and British Columbia. Manitoba had two teams represented, including the Pilots and the Assiniboine Cougars from Brandon.

Opening night began on March 10 with a banquet in Winnipeg. Keynote speaker was former Olympian Michelle Sawatzky-Koop.

By the end of the week, the gold medal went to the Lakeview Rustlers from Lloydminster, Alberta. This marked the fourth year in a row that the team took first place.

The Pilots squared off against the Rustlers at the very beginning of the tournament, setting them off to a tough start.

“The Pilots started off strong but fell to the Rustlers in three straight sets,” says Martin. “They played their closest match on Thursday before a full house of fans. The atmosphere was electric as the Pilots won the first two sets in nail-biting fashion. However, the opposing Mount Allison Mounties found their groove and won the next three sets to win the match.”

The Pilots completed their run by facing off with their archrivals, the Assiniboine Cougars. Unfortunately, they ended in bottom spot.