For the first time in school history, Columbia Bible College will play host to a Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship tournament.
CBC has been awarded the men's volleyball nationals for 2012. The eight-team tourney will feature seven top college teams from across the country, plus the host Bearcats. The event will run March 8-10 at 1,000-seat Columbia Place.
"It's a big deal for us," CBC athletic director and men's volleyball coach Rocky Olfert said.
"This is the first time we're going to be hosting an event of this magnitude. It's maybe a bit overwhelming, but it's very exciting at the same time. I think it's time for us to step up and host something like this."
Hosting rights for CCAA national championships rotate from province to province on an annual basis, and the Bearcats were the only B.C. program to bid on the men's volleyball event. The initiative garnered support from city council, Tourism Abbotsford, the Abbotsford Sport Council, and the local chamber of commerce.
That the Bearcats men have been excellent this season – they're second in B.C. at 8-4 and ranked sixth in Canada – only served to enhance their sales pitch to the CCAA. Landing the national championship also figures to make Olfert's job easier when he hits the recruiting trail.
"It's certainly appealing for players to have the opportunity to play in a national championship tournament," he pointed out.
Olfert said the organizing committee plans to get local schools and club volleyball teams involved to make the national tourney a community-wide event.
IN BRIEF:
• In weekend BCCAA action, the UFV Cascades women scored a weekend sweep over the College of the Rockies Avalanche to improve to 7-5 on the season. The Cascades men dropped both their weekend matches to COTR to fall to 4-8.
• The Bearcats basketball teams were swept on the road by the Langara Falcons.
The CBC women (0-14) lost 80-32 on Friday and 84-32 on Saturday, and on the men's side, the 'Cats (1-13) fell by scores of 76-52 and 99-54.
• The CBC volleyball teams had bye from league play, but the Bearcats men posted a straight-sets win over a team of alumni all-stars on Saturday.