Alberta seeded No. 1 going into CIS men’s volleyball championship

OTTAWA – For the first time since 2009, the Canada West champion University of Alberta Golden Bears are seeded first heading into the CIS men’s volleyball championship.

The seeding was announced Sunday for the tournament, which runs from Thursday to Saturday at the University of Calgary’s Jack Simpson Gymnasium.

The OUA champion McMaster Marauders are in second spot, followed by Trinity Western Spartans, the AUS champion Dalhousie Tigers, RESQ and defending national champion Laval Rouge et Or, Western Mustangs, the host Calgary Dinos and Montreal Carabins.

Dalhousie and Laval meet in the opener Thursday, followed by Alberta vs. Montreal, Trinity Western vs. Western and McMaster vs. host Calgary.

The top-ranked Bears were third in league play with a 15-7 record but went 4-0 in the playoffs, including a straight-set win over Trinity Western in Saturday’s conference final.

With a 3-1 victory over McMaster in last year’s national final in Quebec City, the Rouge et Or put an end to the 18-year domination by Canada West teams in CIS men’s volleyball.