The Brandon University Bobcats never stopped believing in themselves, and that belief carried them to the program's first national volleyball championship on their home court.

The Bobcats completed a perfect week at the U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship – presented by Sunrise Credit Union, grinding out a 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 28-26, 25-17) victory over the defending champion Alberta Golden Bears in the gold-medal final to claim the Tantramar Trophy.

The Bobcats have medalled in each of their five trips to nationals but hadn't reached the top of the podium until now. After a 10-10 Canada West conference record, this year's Bobcats were seeded last in the eight-team field, but their unwavering confidence carried them through victories over the No. 1 Winnipeg Wesmen, the No. 5 Saskatchewan Huskies, and, finally, the No. 3 Golden Bears at the Healthy Living Centre.

"It's indescribable, everything you dreamed of, it's crazy," said Bobcats head coach Grant Wilson. "We use the word 'believe' all the time. I'm a big Ted Lasso fan. We have the 'believe' mantra in our group and we have it for a reason. I think it was more than evident that belief was really strong today."

Philipp Lauter was named the championship's most valuable player after another efficient outing, picking up 10 kills, with no errors, along with nine blocks. Liam Pauls, with 12, Riley Grusing, with 11, and Tom Friesen, with 10, each reached double digits in kills, while player of the game J.J. Love did a bit of everything with 40 assists, five kills, 10 blocks and seven digs.

"That's the culmination of so much work all just coming together in one moment, and it's an unbelievable feeling," Lauter said. "I don't have the words to describe it. That was so special."

The Bobcats showed what kind of energy they were going to bring on the first point of the match as Pauls leapt onto the scorer's table in a valiant but unsuccessful effort to save the ball. The defending national champion Golden Bears were poised, though, and opened a 6-1 lead on the strength of effective serving by Liam Espedido.

The Bobcats relied on their renowned blocking game to get back in the set, chipping away at the lead until a block by Grusing and Lauter gave them their first lead of at 12-11. Brandon built an 18-15 advantage on back-to-back blocks by Love and Chris Bryant, followed by a Love kill. They clinched the first set as Lauter fired a kill off the Alberta block and out of play.

The second set was a tooth-and-nail battle between the Bears' top-ranked attack and the Bobcat blockers. This time it was Alberta that won out, with two-time Canadian player of the year Isaac Heslinga blasting nine of his match-high 25 kills in the set.

The third set was even more intense. The Bobcats went ahead 15-11 on a massive kill by Lauter, followed by two straight Pauls aces, the second hitting the tape and dropping just over the net. Alberta battled back to tie but could never take the lead as a series of service errors cost them late in the set. The Bobcats finally finished it off, somehow retrieving a crafty Heslinga attempt, allowing them a chance to reset and deny Alberta's Dylan Martens on a block by Lauter and Love.

Brandon took control of the fourth with back-to-back blocks, followed by a Bryant ace, and added to their lead with two more Lauter kills. The MVP circled the floor, pumping his arms to drive the crowd of 1,800 into a frenzy, but they were already there. The 'Cats continued to cruise and welcomed their fans on the floor for an impromptu celebration after the final point.

"It's once-in-a-lifetime," Love said of clinching the title just down Highway 10 from his hometown of Dauphin. "We've had the program going for 20 years and we've never got to host. This is the first time, so this is really awesome. I'm just happy I get to celebrate it with my friends, family, teammates, coaches, everyone."

In addition to his MVP award, Lauter was joined on the all-star team by Pauls and the Alberta duo of Heslinga and Trent Cherewaty, Jonathan Portelance of Sherbrooke, and Emmett Graham of Saskatchewan. The Windsor Lancers were presented with the R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award.