Underdog Brandon Bobcats win men's national volleyball title for 1st time, upsetting defending Alberta champs
Bobcats went into 8-team tournament ranked No. 8, beat No. 3 seed Golden Bears in final
The Brandon University Bobcats clawed their way to the top of the U Sports food chain on Sunday evening, claiming their first-ever national title in men's volleyball.
The underdog Bobcats, ranked No. 8 going into the eight-team tournament, downed the defending champion Alberta Golden Bears three sets to one (25-20, 22-25, 28-26, 25-17).
And they did it on home court at the Healthy Living Centre, in front of a standing-room-only crowd that exploded in celebration when a Bears spike went wide on match point.
"It's indescribable," head coach Grant Wilson said following the game. "Everything you dreamed of. It's crazy."
With that, the Bobcats finished their Canada West year with an overall win-loss record of 13-12, while the No. 3-ranked Golden Bears had a sparkling 21-6.
To get there, Brandon had to first get through the quarterfinals against the No. 1 seed Winnipeg Wesmen (who close out the year with a 23-4 record) and then the No. 5 Saskatchewan Huskies in the semi-final.
"Super surreal feeling," said J.J. Love, who recorded 10 blocks and seven digs in the gold-medal game. "We've had the program going for 20 years and we've never got close, so this is really awesome."
Love also got 40 of the team's 46 assists and was named Brandon's player of the game.
Teammate Philipp Lauter, who was named Canada West rookie of the year in 2022, ended his university volleyball career on Sunday by being named the tournament MVP.
"I don't think I can even describe it right now. Even if I really knew what I felt, I don't think I'd have the words to tell you. It's good, I can tell you that much. It's really good," said Lauter, who had nine blocks in the final game.
"I'm in my last year, and I don't think it gets any better than to have this as my last game as a Bobcat."
The Bobcats' title comes exactly one week after the University of Manitoba Bisons women's volleyball team was crowned national champs on their home court.
They defeated the Montreal Carabins 3-1 in a best-of-five final to win their eighth U Sports title, but first in 11 years.