This past weekend (January 3 & 4, 2009) Red River College’s men’s and women’s volleyball teams were in Welland, Ontario to compete in Niagara College’s “Big Kahuna Volleyball Classic.”
After completing round-robin play with just one win, the Red River men found themselves matched-up against the host Niagara Knights in a best-of-three semi-final. After defeating Niagara in straight sets (25-11, 25-21, 25-11), the Rebels advanced to the best-of-five gold medal match against the heavily favoured Fanshawe Falcons.
The Rebels, fresh off their morale-boosting semi-final victory over the Knights, battled hard and defeated the Falcons (25-19, 25-18, 25-19) to capture the 2009 Men’s Big Kahuna Classic crown.
Red River’s John Tronrud and Matt Lux were named Tournament All-Stars, while Rebel setter Kevin Brown was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
While advancing through the playoffs without losing a single set, Red River College’s men’s volleyball team has established themselves as a stout competitor in Canadian college volleyball. The Rebels also showed well in a preseason tournament held in Red Deer, Alberta in October – the Service Plus Inn & Suites Challenge Cup.
The Rebel women didn’t fare as well as the men, finishing the tournament with a 0-4 record. Jenessa McFarland was named a Tournament All-Star.
By Darrin Bauming
