The NAIT Men’s volleyball team hosts the 2026 Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA) Volleyball Nationals from March 11 to March 14.
Follow along here for daily updates on the Ooks’ journey.
Day three: Ooks lose to VIU Mariners in offensive showdown
The NAIT Ooks men’s volleyball team and the Vancouver Island University Mariners met in an offensive masterclass in the bronze semifinals. Ultimately, the Mariners won 3-1 as they halted NAIT’s commanding push for bronze.
The Ooks carried the dominance from their last game against the Providence Pilots, leaving VIU’s defence scrambling and making mistakes.Behind Ben Kieser’s statement performance, NAIT comfortably won the first set 25-19.
The second set was neck-and-neck as VIU and NAIT battled it out. Finn Howard and Ben Kieser again showed up to play. They fought hard to maintain their momentum, but the Mariners had other ideas as they brought power of their own and forced their way to a 25-23 victory.
The third set was another firefight as kills went back and forth. The length seemed to get to some of the players. Defences were stretched thin and errors started to creep in as VIU struggled their way to a 25-22 victory.
The fourth set was an all out attack from both sides. Both sides gave it all they had and leads lasted mere rallies. Both teams were tied at 20 going into the final five points. Julien Phillips had some ridiculous spikes to keep NAIT fighting. Aiden Wright won a push battle above the net to force a point. But as the Mariner’s lead increased to match point, NAIT scrambled to save one last spike and couldn’t get a limb underneath it. The opportunity gave Mariners the win, as they cemented their place in the bronze medal game.
NAIT went out on their own terms tonight. They battled hard to the end, never letting the Mariners run away with the game. The Ooks’ performance showed that the whole roster can make an impact against the best teams in the country. It was a bittersweet end, as most of this roster will be graduating and they were gunning for gold. But Coach Dixon and this wonder squad have rebuilt NAIT’s volleyball program to winning standards, and they’ll surely be competing at nationals again soon.
Day two: Ooks men’s volleyball fly past Providence Pilots in bronze quarterfinals
The NAIT men’s Ooks volleyball team got a result worth their performance in game two, earning a three set sweep against the Providence Pilots in the bronze medal quarterfinals.
The Ooks found their feet immediately in the first set with four aces and strong performances from league MVP Josh Watson and star of the game Julien Philips. They maintained a three-point lead for the entire set until winning 25-20.
Right away, the play felt different than their first match, and assistant coach Jake Fleming says the team “had a lot of reflection” after Wednesday’s game.
“I think we had left a lot on the table. So we were able to regroup quickly and put together a good effort.”
The second set was highlighted by dominant blocking and spectacular kills. The Ooks consistently held an 8-point lead throughout, and this strong team performance ended the set at 25-16.
Providence got their first lead in the third set, but the Ooks took over, winning the set 25-20. Star of the game and opposite hitter, number six Julien Philips, was focused on consistency.
“We’re gonna battle,” Philips says. “You gotta get into your flow state, trying to get there as quick as possible.”
Philips and Watson’s two-way play contributed heavily to the win, but several new faces stood out for Fleming as well.
“We had Kaden Bennett come in, number nine, he really took a load off for us too. And Chris Rooker, number five. Really, we were able to show our depth tonight, which is great. Gave us a good rest and gave us a good opportunity to win.”
The NAIT Ooks play the Vancouver Island University Mariners in the bronze medal semifinal tonight at 6 p.m.
Day one: Ooks stumble, drop opening game
The Ooks faced the Titans de Limoilou from Quebec City in their first match, and it was not the result that fans hoped for.
NAIT fought hard throughout the first set, but an early 7-3 deficit put them behind. They never found a way to get ahead, dropping the set 25-21. The second set saw the Ooks down 7-1 early. NAIT did manage to shrink the Titans’ lead to 23-22 with a late push, but the Ooks were never able to take the lead.
With NAIT down two sets to none, the third set was do-or-die. The Ooks responded to the moment and came out on a mission. They secured the lead early and held on to win 25-18 to force a fourth set.
However, that fourth set did not fall the blue and gold’s way. NAIT led 8-7 and remained in front until the Titans tied it at 20-20 and shut the Ooks down to win the set 25-21 and advance to the next round.
“These guys played really well,” NAIT head coach Phil Dixon says post-game about his team’s performance. “We out-attacked them. Kill efficiency was better. We had more kills and more digs; they just beat us in the serve-pass game … I’m proud of them. We were up 12-7 in the fourth, and just couldn’t close it out. We’re going for bronze.”
The Ooks are now out of contention for the national title game, but they are still in the running for the bronze medal. They will play the bronze medal quarterfinal today against the Providence Pilots at 3:00 p.m.
Feature image by Ana Kostyrko
