(Photo: Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards, Huskie Athletics)

By Ben Tompkins

Championship Bound

Huskies win Canada West Bronze, spot in U SPORTS Nationals

Mar 14, 2023 | 5:33 PM

The Huskie men’s volleyball team has won a Canada West bronze medal, officially booking their ticket to Hamilton.

The Dogs were victorious over the Calgary Dinos, this past weekend, with a three sets to one win, earning the final U SPORTS national championship spot, out of Canada West.

The U of S is now set to face the number two-ranked McMaster Marauders, on their home floor, in what is sure to be a difficult road task for Saskatchewan.

“They’re gonna be excited to play us, I think they’re put in a good spot having that two seed, but we’re definitely not afraid of playing any team that’s higher seeded than us, and I think the seven seed is a great motivator for us,” Dylan Mortensen told HuskieFAN.

“They’re gonna be pumped up to play in front of their home crowd, so it’s going to be an electric atmosphere and they’re a great team, so we’re going to have to play some of our best ball if we’re going to get the better of them on Friday.”

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McMaster is the two-seed after an 18-2 regular season record and a 3-0 playoff record, which saw them come away as the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champions.

Meanwhile, the Huskies are the seven seed after a 17-7 record in the regular season, and a playoff record of 3-3.

Mortensen said his group is more than excited to be a part of the tournament, as it extends their season, and gives them a chance to make the program even prouder.

“It’s a super exciting week for us,” he said. “We’re going through uncharted territory here with our team, you know, none of our players have ever made nationals, so we’re kind of just taking it all in as a team. The jobs definitely not finished tough, as our goal is to win Nationals and have a gold medal hanging around our neck, coming back on Monday.”

And for the fifth-year outside hitter out of Swift Current, last Friday’s contest was his last game at the PAC, as he now has the chance to end his career on the highest of notes.

“We’ve got to embrace this and realize how hard we’ve worked and that has led us to be a competing team here at Nationals. I’m incredibly proud of our crew and the adversity we face in the program, been through a lot over my tenure at the university here, and I couldn’t ask for much more coming out of the season,” explained Mortensen.

“We haven’t been here much, so I don’t think there’s really any negative scenario coming out of this weekend. I think that we have to keep our eyes on the prize here, but it’s also important to acknowledge all the stuff that we’ve accomplished so far in the last seven or eight months.”

Game time between the Huskies and the Marauders is 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Consolation games will take place on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m., with the semifinals set for 6 and 8 p.m. On Sunday, the fifth-place game is set for noon, with the bronze medal game following at 2 p.m. and the championship game at 6 p.m.

“I’m grateful that we’ve got this opportunity and we can do the university proud here and I’m excited to represent our program and our university at such a prestigious event.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8