The top eight men’s volleyball teams in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) are at RDC to determine this year’s conference champion. The 2016- 2017 ACAC Men’s Volleyball Championship runs from February 23 to 25 in the Main Gym at Red Deer College.
“This is a great opportunity for people from across central Alberta to see some of the best men’s volleyball competition in the nation,” says Diane St-Denis, RDC Athletic Director. “When we have the opportunity to showcase this type of high-level sport in Red Deer, it’s exciting for fans and it also helps to ignite a passion for volleyball in young players, as well as coaches and officials from across the community.”
St-Denis notes that RDC has an extensive history of hosting ACAC Championships. “This allows us to showcase our teams, but it’s also part of our mandate as a member of the ACAC. Hosting the Men’s Volleyball Championship gives RDC the opportunity to highlight top athletes from across the conference,” she says.
Many of these top athletes were recognized at the ACAC 2016-17 Men’s Volleyball Award Presentations, which took place on February 22nd. The awards were presented to student-athletes from across the conference, based on their performances in the regular season.
Competing teams are looking to advance to the National Championship, scheduled for March 8 to 11 at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. “The ACAC consistently produces elite teams that are competitive at the national level,” says St-Denis. “This championship at RDC promises to showcase incredible volleyball, right here in central Alberta.”
Competing teams include Keyano College, The King’s University, NAIT and Grande Prairie Regional College representing the North Division. From the ACAC South Division, Red Deer College, Medicine Hat College, SAIT and Briercrest College will compete for gold.
On Thursday, action will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the RDC Main Gym. The RDC Kings (19-5) will hit the court Thursday at 6:00 p.m. against the NAIT Ooks (13-11). In the past 10 regular season matches, both teams have an identical 7-3 record.
“NAIT has a better team than what their record shows. They had some banged up players and brought back some guys at Christmas that we saw in the quarter-finals last year,” said Kings Volleyball Head Coach Aaron Schulha. “They have some weapons and are a big team. A lot of what happens at this time of the season depends on the serve and pass game.”
Tournament Schedule (all games take place in RDC Main Gym):
- Thursday, February 23: 1 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm (RDC Kings), 8 pm
- Friday, February 24: 12 pm, 2 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm
- Saturday, February 25: 11 am, 1 pm (bronze medal game), 3:30 pm (gold medal game)
The games can also be viewed here:
https://www.acactv.ca/en/
(Photo by Tony Hansen)
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