by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips

Since its inaugural year in 1979 there stand two schools which may be classified as dynasties when talking about Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men's volleyball.

They are the Red Deer College Kings of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) and the Cégep Limoilou Titans of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

The Kings have won 12 championships, including an eight-year run from 2000-2007, while the Titans have brought home 10 banners with a six-year stint from 1984-1989.

Overall, the Titans have the most medals, 21, with eight silver and three bronze added on while the Kings have earned 19 with the additional five bronze and two silver.

Both schools were looking to add to their totals as last Thursday they hit the courts with six other colleges to participate in the 2016-2017 CCAA Men's Volleyball Championships to be held March 8 - 11, 2017 at the Glenn Johnston Athletic Centre in London, Ontario and hosted by the Fanshawe College Falcons.

The other ACAC team in the hunt for gold was the Medicine Hat Rattlers having qualified as a wildcard.

Kings opened the three-day event with a sweep of the host Falcons 25-22, 25-21, 21-18 with Regan Fathers leading the way with 14 kills while his fellow Australian Luke Brisbane had 31 assists. Ty Moorman played big on the net with five blocks.

"There is no doubt that we had to be ready out of the gate," said Kings coach Aaron Schulha. "Attendance wise they said that was the most fans they had ever had in their gym for a game, so it was a big crowd with a great atmosphere with everyone cheering against us.

"We knew they would be a strong team, not a team that was seeded No. 7, and their guys played well."

Kings secured trip to the gold medal match with a 3-1 semi-final decision over VIU Mariners 25-19, 25-11, 27-29, 25-19 with an impressive 61 kills.

"I think Luke (Brisbane) did a great job distributing the ball (51 assists) and we did a good job in our transition game. We seem to get better as the week went along."

Fathers had 22 BANGOS while Moorman and Lofgren added 13 and 12 respectively. Moorman had a bigtime five blocks.

In the quest for gold, the Kings would face off against, with no major surprise, Cégep Limoilou Titans.

It would the second year in a row that the two schools were the last standing. It would also be the fifth time in CCAA finals that they would meet in the finale.

For the Titans it would make three-years-in-a-row in the gold medal match.

The Titans had qualified with decisions against Holland Hurricanes 25-14, 25-14, 25-23 and the host Camosun chargers 25-12, 25-23, 25-13.

GOLD MEDAL

In a rematch of last year's CCAA men's volleyball finals, It was fitting that the two schools would go the five-game distance.in 20116-2107.

Kings' Adam Turlejski took early control of the fifth set; the 6-foot-6 middle from Australia recording three kills, a block and a service ace as the Kings went up 6-3.

Two kills by fellow Australian Fathers gave the Kings an 8-3 edge.

Two mini runs by the Titans would bring it to a 10-9 score in favour of the Kings.

Back-to-back smack downs by Fathers and additional kills by Brian Grenier and Turlejsk would make it 15-12 for gold; Kings claiming their 13th CCAA title with a 25-21, 25-18, 24-26, 24-26, 15-12 final.

Fathers was incredible with 28 kills, nine digs, two service aces and two blocks. in the final, Brisbane with 56 assists and nine digs also managed to toss in a block.

Kings' Moorman was selected Player of the Kings with 10 kills and a block.

"Everyone played well," said Schulha. "Adam (Turlejsk) was great, especially in the fifth set. Him and Luke (Brisbane) having played together for five years now (three in the ACAC) there is a connection. Brian (Grenier) had his best match of the season and Ty (Moorman) was good all week and that was evident by his First Team All Star selection (along with teammate Brisbane). Luke does what Like does and that is being consistent and our libero Matt (Lofgren, a Second Team All Star) was as good as he has been all year and Mike Summer played well."

Of Fathers, selected CCAA Tournament MVP, Schulha said, "Fathers has been outstanding the entire year and he is obviously getting more time and volume than what he is used to. As the year progressed he it is something he strived on."

Of the Kings and Titans rivalry and record of now 42 medals in CCAA men's volleyball; (Titans coach) Rock Picard does a good job of having them at the national championships every year and that is our goal also every year. You build a culture and have each student/athlete understanding that and that there are expectations."

RATTLERS IMPRESSIVE FOURTH

In their opening match against the Camosun Chargers the Rattlers won the two first sets 25-18 and 25-6 only to see the PACWEST opponent come back to win the next three 24-26, 20-15 and 13-15 for the match.

Joel Kotyk led the Rattlers with 22 kills while teammate Isak Helland-Hansen, who was named 2016-2017 CCAA Men's Volleyball Player of the Year at the banquet, had 19 kills, 13 digs and three blocks.

Former Lethbridge Kodiaks volleyball ace Hakon Ostrem led the Chargers with 19 kills

"After you beat them 25-6 there was a mental breakdown for us thinking that Camosun would fold over," said Rattlers coach Mark Porter, in a phone interview while in route from the hotel to Toronto Pearson International Airport. "But they have more pride and more character and they came back and our guys weren't ready and we were not able to battle back mentally.".

Rattlers bounced back in the bronze medal qualifier sweeping Holland Hurricanes 25-13, 15-14, 25-23. Alfred Dalevik led the attack with 14 kills and two service aces. Cole Sanderson had the start at setter with 35 setups.

In the bronze match semi-final Medicine Hat played the VIU Mariners, topping the PACWEST rep 25-23, 25-20 and 25-20.

Helland-Hansen had 11 kills and three service aces with teammate Brodie Dolter adding seven kills and six blocks..

The bronze medal matchup would feature the Rattlers up against the host Fanshawe Falcons.

It was an intense bronze medal match going the distance, Falcons winning sets two 25-22 and three 25-23 while Rattlers opened set one 25-20 and set four 25-23 to head into the final and fifth set.

In the fifth set, the Rattlers went up quickly 5-2 on back-to-back kills, followed by back-to-back blocks by Kotyk, leading to a Falcons timeout.

A Falcons carried ball gave the Rattlers 8-7 lead and switch of side.

First team to 15 points and winning by two would take the match.

In what was perhaps the most exciting set in the tournament and behind the power swings of Kotyk and Helland-Hansen the Rattlers would claim bronze with a final set 21-19 score.

Helland-Hansen had 20 kills, Kotyk, 17 and Dolter 14. Zachary Frank had six blocks.

"It was a big win for our program," said Porter. "Our two last five setters were both losses to Red Deer (ACAC regular season and championships) so it showed character with our guys showing that they can battle through that kind of stuff."

This is the Rattlers first ever CCAA medal in men's or women's volleyball. The last time the Rattlers won a CCAA medal in a team-ball sport (basketball, soccer, volleyball) was in 1999 with women's soccer kicking to silver.

"It says a lot for our program," said Porter. "It says a lot for the direction it is heading and it shows that administration is very supportive of the athletics."

Last time the ACAC captured two CCAA Men's Volleyball medals at the same event was in 2013-2014 when the Kings claimed gold and the Briercrest Clippers silver.

The ACAC has accomplished the CCAA men's volleyball double medal feat 10 times now with a rare Gold-Silver-Bronze sweep in 1999 with Mount Royal Cougars, Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves and Kings taking the podium respectively.

This is only the third time that the ACAC has won both women's and men's CCAA volleyball banners with Red Deer Kings/Queens doing such in 2014 and Kings and McEwan University Griffins getting the honour in 2007. Women's CCAA Volleyball Championships date back to 1978 and the men 1979.

Camosun Chargers will host the 2017-2018 CCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship March 7-10 in Victoria, British Columbia.