DAVENPORT, Iowa --- No. 1 California Baptist University closed out its 13th and final season of NAIA volleyball Saturday night, with the program’s second-straight and eighth overall NAIA Invitational Tournament title.
The Lancers completed an extremely compelling run through the tournament with maybe their most impressive performance of the week in the championship match against host and third-seeded St. Ambrose. The Lancers treated a home crowd of more than 2,000 in Lee Lohman Arena to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-18) thumping, asserting their dominance in each set and solidifying the team’s place in the NAIA record books as the winningest championship program to date.
“There is a lot of joy in this championship because the journey was so challenging,” said Head Coach Ryan McGuyre, who was still attempting to dry off from a dousing of water by his players. “We did it in a fun environment, against one of the most hostile crowds we have seen. The unity of this team won out and these guys deserve it.”
With the home crowd on its feet and in a frenzy, the Lancers blocked the opening two St. Ambrose attacks and would take a 4-1 lead, setting the tone for the entire night.
CBU would push its advantage to 9-3, getting back-to-back aces along the way from Levi Cabral.
St. Ambrose never got closer than five points the rest of the way, as the Lancers went up 1-0 on a 25-14 victory. CBU cruised in the opening game, hitting a blistering .550 and notching 4.5 blocks.
“The game was won at the net for us tonight,” said McGuyre. “St. Ambrose has some great power hitters and we needed to make sure we were in the right spots against them. I think that forced them to become a little tentative and was a key in the match for us.”
With control of the match in their grasp, CBU had to stave off a spirited St. Ambrose attack in the second set.
The Lancers again went up early, taking a 2-0 lead on back-to-back kills by Aaron McCalmont and Sebastien Steigmeier. The Bees kept it close, though, evening the set at 3-3.
The teams continued to trade points with the Lancers going up by as much as three and St. Ambrose evening the match at 11-11. The Bees finally took their first lead of the match, going ahead 15-14 on two straight Cabral errors. Blair Penner went right back to his junior outside hitter, setting Cabral on the next point for a thunderous kill that nearly bounced into the rafters.
As the teams again played neck and neck down the stretch, St. Ambrose evened the game at 22-22. A service error and an attack error gave the Lancers set point and after a Bee timeout, Joseph Fitzpatrick and Cabral combined on a game-winning block.
“We were a little nervous coming into the match, but once we got going we were dialed in, especially in that second set and then down the stretch,” said Penner. “This win was so sweet for a lot of reasons. It’s a great group of guys and a great win for CBU going forward.”
CBU once again did a phenomenal job of taking some of the air out of a spirited crowd in the third and final game, opening with two straight smashes from the right hand of Cabral.
“We were all focused on not letting the fans get to us,” said Cabral, who was named tournament MVP. “No matter where you are, the court is the same and we just had to remember that. Nobody wanted to see us win again and it made us work that much harder.”
The Lancers rode that focus through the third set, getting a key four-point run after the Bees took a 7-6 lead. Ricky Brazee posted a solo block during the run and then combined on a block with McCalmont to get the CBU bench fired up.
The Lancers would lead the rest of the way, getting another four-point run to go up 14-8. McCalmont blasted a ball off the St. Ambrose block to set up match point and when the Bee’s next attack went into the net, the celebration was on. The Lancer bench flooded the court and McGuyre was mobbed by players with the water cooler.
“Once we hit the 20-point mark we really started believing we were going to win and got more and more excited,” said Brazee, who had two blocks and two kills in the third game. “I just had to trust my teammates in that last game and they came through and let me do my thing on some of those points.”
The Lancers held St. Ambrose to a -.036 hitting percentage in the final game and finished the night with 10.5 blocks, three in the last set.
CBU hit .431 in the match, being led by Cabral with 17 kills and a .464 attack percentage. Every CBU player that recorded a kill hit at least .333.
Penner closed out his illustrious career with 34 assists in the final match, moving his CBU career record total to 4,065.
CBU is the only program to ever win consecutive titles in the NAIA, capturing four-straight from 2004-07 and then the 2010 and 2011 crowns. CBU will move to NCAA Division II next season.
“This is the only way I could think of going out,” said Mike MacNeill, one of four players graduating on the Lancer squad. “This year was amazing and is a great way to end things. This team was probably the most focused I have been on. We pushed through a ton of adversity all year and now here we are.”
The Lancers end the season 26-5, matching the program mark for wins in a season. Along with Cabral’s MVP award, McGuyre was named NAIA Tournament Coach of the Year and Penner was named to the All-Tournament team.
“What made me most proud of this team was the character they displayed all year long, but especially through this tournament,” said McGuyre. “Our staff came up with a great game plan and the guys executed it well, I really didn’t have to do too much and that’s a testament to a great team.”
Tournament MVP
Levi Cabral (California Baptist)
All-Tournament Team
Zach Penolio (Park)
Mike Warren (Lindenwood)
Hayden Grove (St. Ambrose)
Dan Dowjotas (St. Ambrose)
Blair Penner (California Baptist)
Coach of the Year
Ryan McGuyre (California Baptist)
Sportsman of the Year
Jorden Smith (Johnson & Wales)
Tournament Statistical Leaders
Hitting Percentage - Aaron McCalmont (California Baptist), .432
Kills per game - Levi Cabral (California Baptist), 4.27
Assists per game - Blair Penner (California Baptist), 11.55
Digs per game - Nick Brutus (Warner), 2.33
Service Aces per game - Levi Cabral (California Baptist), 0.64
Blocks per game - Luke Knowlson (Lindenwood), 1.46
First Place Team
California Baptist University
Second Place Team
St. Ambrose University
Semifinalist Team Trophies
Lindenwood University
Park University
The Lancers completed an extremely compelling run through the tournament with maybe their most impressive performance of the week in the championship match against host and third-seeded St. Ambrose. The Lancers treated a home crowd of more than 2,000 in Lee Lohman Arena to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-18) thumping, asserting their dominance in each set and solidifying the team’s place in the NAIA record books as the winningest championship program to date.
“There is a lot of joy in this championship because the journey was so challenging,” said Head Coach Ryan McGuyre, who was still attempting to dry off from a dousing of water by his players. “We did it in a fun environment, against one of the most hostile crowds we have seen. The unity of this team won out and these guys deserve it.”
With the home crowd on its feet and in a frenzy, the Lancers blocked the opening two St. Ambrose attacks and would take a 4-1 lead, setting the tone for the entire night.
CBU would push its advantage to 9-3, getting back-to-back aces along the way from Levi Cabral.
St. Ambrose never got closer than five points the rest of the way, as the Lancers went up 1-0 on a 25-14 victory. CBU cruised in the opening game, hitting a blistering .550 and notching 4.5 blocks.
“The game was won at the net for us tonight,” said McGuyre. “St. Ambrose has some great power hitters and we needed to make sure we were in the right spots against them. I think that forced them to become a little tentative and was a key in the match for us.”
With control of the match in their grasp, CBU had to stave off a spirited St. Ambrose attack in the second set.
The Lancers again went up early, taking a 2-0 lead on back-to-back kills by Aaron McCalmont and Sebastien Steigmeier. The Bees kept it close, though, evening the set at 3-3.
The teams continued to trade points with the Lancers going up by as much as three and St. Ambrose evening the match at 11-11. The Bees finally took their first lead of the match, going ahead 15-14 on two straight Cabral errors. Blair Penner went right back to his junior outside hitter, setting Cabral on the next point for a thunderous kill that nearly bounced into the rafters.
As the teams again played neck and neck down the stretch, St. Ambrose evened the game at 22-22. A service error and an attack error gave the Lancers set point and after a Bee timeout, Joseph Fitzpatrick and Cabral combined on a game-winning block.
“We were a little nervous coming into the match, but once we got going we were dialed in, especially in that second set and then down the stretch,” said Penner. “This win was so sweet for a lot of reasons. It’s a great group of guys and a great win for CBU going forward.”
CBU once again did a phenomenal job of taking some of the air out of a spirited crowd in the third and final game, opening with two straight smashes from the right hand of Cabral.
“We were all focused on not letting the fans get to us,” said Cabral, who was named tournament MVP. “No matter where you are, the court is the same and we just had to remember that. Nobody wanted to see us win again and it made us work that much harder.”
The Lancers rode that focus through the third set, getting a key four-point run after the Bees took a 7-6 lead. Ricky Brazee posted a solo block during the run and then combined on a block with McCalmont to get the CBU bench fired up.
The Lancers would lead the rest of the way, getting another four-point run to go up 14-8. McCalmont blasted a ball off the St. Ambrose block to set up match point and when the Bee’s next attack went into the net, the celebration was on. The Lancer bench flooded the court and McGuyre was mobbed by players with the water cooler.
“Once we hit the 20-point mark we really started believing we were going to win and got more and more excited,” said Brazee, who had two blocks and two kills in the third game. “I just had to trust my teammates in that last game and they came through and let me do my thing on some of those points.”
The Lancers held St. Ambrose to a -.036 hitting percentage in the final game and finished the night with 10.5 blocks, three in the last set.
CBU hit .431 in the match, being led by Cabral with 17 kills and a .464 attack percentage. Every CBU player that recorded a kill hit at least .333.
Penner closed out his illustrious career with 34 assists in the final match, moving his CBU career record total to 4,065.
CBU is the only program to ever win consecutive titles in the NAIA, capturing four-straight from 2004-07 and then the 2010 and 2011 crowns. CBU will move to NCAA Division II next season.
“This is the only way I could think of going out,” said Mike MacNeill, one of four players graduating on the Lancer squad. “This year was amazing and is a great way to end things. This team was probably the most focused I have been on. We pushed through a ton of adversity all year and now here we are.”
The Lancers end the season 26-5, matching the program mark for wins in a season. Along with Cabral’s MVP award, McGuyre was named NAIA Tournament Coach of the Year and Penner was named to the All-Tournament team.
“What made me most proud of this team was the character they displayed all year long, but especially through this tournament,” said McGuyre. “Our staff came up with a great game plan and the guys executed it well, I really didn’t have to do too much and that’s a testament to a great team.”
Tournament MVP
Levi Cabral (California Baptist)
All-Tournament Team
Zach Penolio (Park)
Mike Warren (Lindenwood)
Hayden Grove (St. Ambrose)
Dan Dowjotas (St. Ambrose)
Blair Penner (California Baptist)
Coach of the Year
Ryan McGuyre (California Baptist)
Sportsman of the Year
Jorden Smith (Johnson & Wales)
Tournament Statistical Leaders
Hitting Percentage - Aaron McCalmont (California Baptist), .432
Kills per game - Levi Cabral (California Baptist), 4.27
Assists per game - Blair Penner (California Baptist), 11.55
Digs per game - Nick Brutus (Warner), 2.33
Service Aces per game - Levi Cabral (California Baptist), 0.64
Blocks per game - Luke Knowlson (Lindenwood), 1.46
First Place Team
California Baptist University
Second Place Team
St. Ambrose University
Semifinalist Team Trophies
Lindenwood University
Park University
