It has been 16 years since a non-Canada West team won the CIS men’s volleyball championship, but the Laval Rouge et Or is getting close.

The Rouge et Or opened the tournament, which ends Sunday at the Tournament Capital Centre, with a three-set (25-20, 25-20, 25-18) victory over the Montreal Carabins. Laval will take on the Trinity Western Spartans today, 6 p.m., in a semifinal.

Laval was the last non-Canada West team to win nationals, in 1993-94, which started an impressive run for CW. Of the ensuing 15 tournaments, the Manitoba Bisons won five, the Alberta Golden Bears won five, the Winnipeg Wesmen and the Saskatchewan Huskies each won two and Trinity Western won in 2006.

Laval is ranked No. 1 for the first time since 2000. In that tournament — at home in Quebec City — the Rouge et Or was upset by the Dalhousie Tigers in the opening round. Laval has won three CIS titles in total.

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Anyone who drops by the TCC will notice the floor is not the gym floor upon which the WolfPack normally plays.

The City bought a new composite floor — which came in tiles and had to be put together — exclusively for volleyball.

There had been a few complaints, however, that the tiles weren’t very secure, causing sliding. Apparently the City had an option to purchase underlay for the floor, which would have kept it from slipping, but declined.

TCC employees worked to tape down the corners of the new floor, and, according to TRU WolfPack head coach Pat Hennelly, it stopped the sliding tiles.

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All of this weekend’s games are being webcast, and organizers have put together a crack team of commentators.

Emily Cordonier, a former star for the UBC Thunderbirds, is the colour commentator. Cordonier, a two-time All-Canadian, is the older sister of Liz Cordonier, the 2009-10 CIS women’s player of the year who led the Thunderbirds to the national title.

Joining Emily is Joseph Otoo, a TRU journalism student who has worked on WolfPack broadcasts all season, and Jared Brown, who normally helps out with the Manitoba Bisons webcasts.

To watch, visit www.ssncanada.ca.

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For the week, the TCC’s stands are set up in a bowl, and the north bleachers are a beer garden, the first time beer has flowed for a WolfPack match at the TCC since January 2009.

The Whistler Brewing Company, a tournament sponsor, is supplying the beer.

The last time the WolfPack had a beer garden was Jan. 17, 2009, and TRU sold a total of 202 beverages.

mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca