Providence men’s volleyball went into the MCAC Championships with an 8-8 regular season record and the #3 seed, behind Canadian Mennonite University Blazers and the Universitaire de St. Boniface Les Rouges.

Having lost to St. Boniface in their last three meetings and having never beaten CMU, the Pilots did not have much hope in making it to the championship game, let alone challenge for the title.

In the semi-final the Pilots engaged in a back-and-forth, come-from-behind, five-set thriller against St. Boniface and ended up winning 3-2 . The Pilots were led by Brett Foley with 12 kills and 4 blocks and Matt Friesen with 11 kills and 5 digs.

In the final, the Pilots faced the CMU Blazers, who had an outstanding regular season finishing with a 15-1 record. In a tight first set, the Pilots saved a set point before winning 27-25. In the second set, CMU dominated with a 25-12 set win. However, in the third set, the Pilots were able to keep the score close throughout and after saving two set points, squeezed out another tight set with a 28-26 set win.

Then, during the latter part of the fourth set, the Pilots found another gear and won 25-19 and with it, the MCAC Championship. The Pilots were led once again by Brett Foley and Matt Friesen, who was also recognized as the MCAC Championships MVP.

Providence men’s and women’s basketball teams were in Dubuque, Iowa for their NCCAA (National Christian Colleges Athletic Association) Regional Championships. The Region champion would advance to the NCCAA National Championships in Greenville, SC.

The men’s team faced Moody Bible Institute Archers in their quarterfinal matchup. The Pilots led for most of the game and seemed destined for the semi-final when the Archers made a heroic late-game comeback and pulled out a heartbreaking win by a score of 83-80. The Pilots were led by Cash Blanca and Kendall Perpall who both scored 22 points.

The women’s basketball team entered the championships with the #2 seed and faced the #3 seed Calvary University Warriors. The Pilots bested their opponents, winning 73-65. This earned the Pilots the chance to play in the Regional Championship Final, which is only the third time in program history that the Pilots have made it to the championship game.

Waiting for the Pilots were the #1 seed Maranatha Baptist University Sabercats, who have been ranked in the Top 10 nationally for most of the year and were riding a 10-game winning streak. The Pilots knew they had a tough opponent but entered the game full of confidence and with a clear game plan. Keeping the game close throughout, the Pilots had a chance to tie the game with a 3-point with a minute left. Unfortunately, the shot missed its mark. and the Pilots had to start fouling to regain possession. In the end, the Sabercats hit their foul shots and came through with a 78-67 win. The Pilots were led by Natalya Reimer with 16 points and Hannah Van Schie with 14 points, and 9 rebounds.

This concludes the 2018-2019 seasons for the volleyball and basketball teams at Providence. Meanwhile, the Futsal teams have two more regular season games followed by the MCAC Championships, hosted by Red River College between March 9 and 10.