U Sports women's volleyball

Last updated
U Sports women's volleyball
U Sports Volleyball Horizontal Logo.png
FormerlyCWIAU Volleyball
CIAU Volleyball
CIS Volleyball
Sport Volleyball
Founded1969;55 years ago (1969)
No. of teams42, in four conferences
CountryCanada
Most recent
champion(s)
UBC Thunderbirds (2024)
Most titles UBC Thunderbirds (14) [1]
Related
competitions
U Sports Volleyball Championship
Official website usports.ca/en/sports/volleyball/f

U Sports women's volleyball is the highest level of amateur play of indoor volleyball in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). 42 teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CW), Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), and Atlantic University Sport (AUS). Following intra-conference playoffs, eight teams are selected to play in a national tournament to compete for the U Sports women's volleyball championship.

Contents

Brief history

Organized university volleyball was first played in Ontario in the 1947-48 school year between the Toronto Varsity Blues and the McMaster Marauders where the two teams finished tied for the championship title. [2] Toronto would win the 1948-49 title in the following year. In the Western Canada Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WCIAU), the Saskatchewan Huskies were named the first champions in Western Canada for the 1949-50 season. [3] [4] In 1950-51, volleyball was admitted as a sport into the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WIAU) with Toronto, McMaster, Western, and OAC becoming the first four programs to compete in an Ontario league. [2] For the 1952-93 season, McGill and Queen's joined competition in the WIAU. [2] The Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (AIAA) began awarding championships for volleyball for the 1959-60 season which was won by the UNB Reds. [5]

In 1969, the Canadian Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Union (CWIAU) was formed to provide a national governing body for women's varsity sport in Canada. [2] [6] In December 1969, the WCIAU proposed by that national championships should be established, which was accepted by the CWIAU. [7] Because this was accepted in the middle of the school year, an unofficial national championship was held at the University of Waterloo and won by the Calgary Dinos in the spring of 1970. [7] [8] The first official championship was awarded following the 1970-71 season and was won by the Manitoba Bisonettes over the Toronto Varsity Blues in a match that was decided in four sets. [9]

Beginning with the 1972-73 season, the Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg Wesmen, and Regina Cougars played in the separate Great Plains Athletic Association (later renamed Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC)) while the Saskatchewan Huskies and teams from Alberta and British Columbia played in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA). [3] The GPAC and CWUAA combined back into one conference starting in the 2001-02 season. [10] The 2020 championship tournament and the entire 2020–21 season were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [11] [12]

Season structure

Exhibition season

To prepare for the season, teams will typically play a series of exhibition games against conference and non-conference opponents. [13] [14] These games are usually played in September and/or October before the regular season and in December and/or January during the holiday break. [15] [16]

The York Lions hosting the Toronto Varsity Blues in 2020. 2020 Volleyball, York Lions vs Toronto Varsity Blues 01.jpg
The York Lions hosting the Toronto Varsity Blues in 2020.

Regular season

As of the 2023-24 season, the RSEQ begin their season first, on the second Friday of October. [17] The Canada West conference begins play one week later and the AUS and OUA schedules begin on the fourth Friday of October. [13] [14] [18] All regular season games are in-conference and the schedule ends in approximately mid-February. [13]

The AUS conference features six teams that play four games against each opponent for a total of 20 regular season games. [14] In the RSEQ, eight teams play 21 conference games for a total of three games against each opponent. [17] In Canada West, there are 14 teams in one conference that play against 12 other opponents resulting in 24 total games played. [18] The OUA also features 14 teams in one conference after previously having teams split in an east and west division. [13] [19] OUA teams play two games against 10 different opponents, leaving three teams as non-combatants for each team's schedule. [19] For the OUA and Canada West conferences, teams will usually play the same opponent twice in one weekend for ease of travel and scheduling. [13] [18]

Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Mary Lyons Award is awarded annually to the Player of the Year in U Sports women's volleyball. [20] The Mark Tennant Award is given to the Rookie of the Year and the Thérèse Quigley Award is given to the best well-rounded student (volleyball, academics and community involvement). An award was also given for the Libero of the Year, but it was discontinued after the 2014-15 season. [21]

UBC's Lisa Barclay won the 2014 Mary Lyons Award and three national championships. Lisa-Barclay.jpg
UBC's Lisa Barclay won the 2014 Mary Lyons Award and three national championships.

Playoffs

After the regular season, playoff games and series are held between the top teams in each conference to determine conference champions. In the AUS and RSEQ conferences, the top four teams qualify for the playoffs and play a best-of-three series including in the conference championship. [17] [22] In Canada West, the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs and play best-of-three series in playoff brackets in the quarterfinals. [23] The winners of these series play in best-of-three semifinals until two teams remain where they play in a single elimination conference championship game. [23]

The OUA is the only conference that features a single elimination format in all playoff games. [19] Teams are seeded one through eight and advance to the semi-finals in a bracket format with the higher-seeded team hosting each game. [19] The highest-seeded remaining team hosts the conference championship, the Quigley Cup. [19]

National championship

The U Sports women's volleyball championship was officially established in 1971 following the organization of the Canadian Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Union (CWIAU). [2] [8] A predetermined host university stages the eight-team tournament over three days and finals games are played on the last day to award gold, silver, and bronze medals. [24] The host team is automatically qualified for the tournament, as are each of the conference champions. Three other teams are entered based on the strength of their conferences and their post-season finishes. [24] The UBC Thunderbirds have won the most championships with 14 gold medals won, followed by the seven titles won by each of the Alberta Pandas, Manitoba Bisons, and Winnipeg Wesmen. [8] The national championship has historically been dominated by the Canada West conference with those teams winning 43 of the 52 championship matches as of the 2023-24 season. [8] The 2020 and 2021 championship tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [11]

Teams

Membership

There were 42 teams that had participated in the 2023–24 Women's volleyball season. [25] [26] Recently, St. Francis Xavier and Cape Breton previously had programs is the AUS conference, but they were cut due to budgetary reasons in 2013 and 2015, respectively. [27] [28] On the opposite side, the Canada West conference has seen a growth in team membership, adding the UBCO Heat in 2011-12, Mount Royal Cougars in 2012-13, MacEwan Griffins in 2014-15, and the UFV Cascades in 2020-21. [29] [30] [31] The UQTR Patriotes are playing in the RSEQ Division 1 as of the 2021-22 season after playing in the conference's Division 2. [32] After becoming the 57th member of U Sports, the UQAC Inuk fielded a women's volleyball team beginning in 2023. [33] The Ottawa Gee-Gees announced intentions to move from the RSEQ to the OUA beginning with the 2024-25 season. [34]

Canada West

UniversityVarsity NameCityProvinceArenaCWCNC
University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Vancouver BC War Memorial Gymnasium 1614
Trinity Western University Spartans Langley BC Langley Events Centre 62
University of the Fraser Valley Cascades Abbotsford BC Envision Athletic Centre 00
Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Kamloops BC Tournament Capital Centre 00
University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat Kelowna BC UBC Okanagan Gymnasium00
University of Calgary Dinos Calgary AB Jack Simpson Gymnasium 93
Mount Royal University Cougars Calgary AB Kenyon Court00
University of Alberta Pandas Edmonton AB Saville Community Sports Centre 187
MacEwan University Griffins Edmonton AB Dr. David W. Atkinson Gymnasium00
University of Saskatchewan Huskies Saskatoon SK Physical Activity Complex133
University of Regina Cougars Regina SK Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport00
University of Brandon Bobcats Brandon MB Healthy Living Centre00
University of Manitoba Bisons Winnipeg MB Investors Group Athletic Centre 77
University of Winnipeg Wesmen Winnipeg MB Duckworth Centre 07

Ontario University Athletics

UniversityVarsity NameCityProvinceArenaOCNC
Lakehead University Thunderwolves Thunder Bay ON The Wolf Den00
University of Windsor Lancers Windsor ON St. Denis Centre10
University of Western Ontario Mustangs London ON Alumni Hall113
University of Waterloo Warriors Waterloo ON Physical Activities Complex00
University of Guelph Gryphons Guelph ON Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre00
McMaster University Marauders Hamilton ON Burridge Gymnasium30
Brock University Badgers St. Catharines ON Bob Davis Gymnasium30
Nipissing University Lakers North Bay ON Robert J. Surtees Student Athletics Centre00
York University Lions Toronto ON Tait McKenzie Centre 150
University of Toronto Varsity Blues Toronto ON Goldring Centre 121
Toronto Metropolitan University Bold Toronto ON Mattamy Athletic Centre 11
Trent University Excalibur Peterborough ON Trent Athletics Centre00
Queen's University Gaels Kingston ON Athletics & Recreation Centre10
Royal Military College of Canada Paladins Kingston ON SAM Gym00

Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec

UniversityVarsity NameCityProvinceArenaCCNC
University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Ottawa ON Montpetit Hall50
Université Laval Rouge et Or Quebec City QC PEPS gymnase 251
McGill University Martlets Montreal QC Love Competition Hall10
Université de Montréal Carabins Montreal QC CEPSUM 150
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi Inuk Chicoutimi QC Pavillon sportif de l'UQAC00
Université du Québec à Montréal Citadins Montreal QC Centre sportif UQAM10
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Patriotes Trois-Rivières QC Centre de l'Activité Physique et Sportive00
Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or Sherbrooke QC Centre sportif Yvon-Lamarche92

Atlantic University Sport

UniversityVarsity NameCityProvinceArenaACNC
Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues Moncton NB CEPS60
University of New Brunswick Reds Fredericton NB Richard J Currie Centre190
Acadia University Axewomen Wolfville NS Stu Aberdeen Court10
Dalhousie University Tigers Halifax NS Dalplex Fieldhouse271
Saint Mary's University Huskies Halifax NS Homburg Centre60
Memorial University of Newfoundland Sea-Hawks St. John's NL The Field House30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Sports</span> Governing body of university sport in Canada

U Sports is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), Canada West (CW), and Atlantic University Sport (AUS). The equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Some institutions are members of both bodies for different sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guelph Gryphons</span> Athletic teams of the University of Guelph, Canada

The Guelph Gryphons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports (OUA's), and, where applicable, in the west division. The university teams are often referred to as the Gryphs, which is short for the school's mascot, Gryph, the gryphon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalhousie Tigers</span> Sports teams of Dalhousie University in Halifax

The Dalhousie Tigers are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Tigers field 14 varsity teams with seven men's teams and seven women's teams that primarily compete in the Atlantic University Sport conference of U Sports. The university also offers numerous intramural and club sports that are available to students, staff, alumni, and Dalpex members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carleton Ravens</span> Athletic teams of Carleton University in Ottawa

The Carleton Ravens are the athletic teams that represent Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The most notable sports team for Carleton is the men's basketball team. In men's basketball, the Ravens have won 16 of the last 19 national men's championships, which is more than any top division college in Canada or the United States. The Ravens went on an 87-game winning streak from 2003 to 2006. They also had a 54-game home winning streak. The Ravens finished 2nd in the World University Basketball Championships in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic University Sport</span>

Atlantic University Sport is a regional membership association for universities in Atlantic Canada which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public and the media. This is similar to what would be called a college athletic conference in the United States. The AUS, which covers Canada east of the province of Quebec, is one of four such bodies that are members of the country's governing body for university athletics, U Sports. The other three regional associations coordinating university-level sports in Canada are Ontario University Athletics (OUA), the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CW), and the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario University Athletics</span> Governing body for university sport in Ontario

Ontario University Athletics is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public and the media. This is similar to what would be called a college athletic conference in the United States. OUA, which covers Ontario, is one of four such bodies that are members of the country's governing body for university athletics, U Sports. The other three regional associations coordinating university-level sports in Canada are Atlantic University Sport (AUS), the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CW), and Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec</span> Governing body of student sport in Quebec

The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec is the current name for the organisation formerly known as the Fédération du sport scolaire du Québec. RSEQ is the governing body of primary and secondary school, collegiate and university sport in Quebec. It also serves as a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases about those programs and events to the public and the media. This is similar to what would be called a "college athletic conference" in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Sports men's soccer</span>

U Sports men's soccer is the highest level of amateur play of association football in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. As of the 2018 season, 48 teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. At the end of every season, eight teams compete for the Sam Davidson Memorial Trophy, awarded to the U Sports Men's Soccer Championship team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern 8</span>

The Northern Football Series was a proposed sub-conference and competition for Canadian university football teams which was submitted to all Canadian university football schools on January 5, 2015. It would potentially involve the top two teams from the CWUAA, which covers Western Canada, four teams from the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and the top two teams from the Quebec Student Sport Federation (RSEQ). A team from Atlantic University Sport (AUS) could qualify in the second year of operation.

The 2017 U Sports football season began on August 25 with the St. Francis Xavier X-Men visiting the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Montreal Carabins visiting the Concordia Stingers in Montreal, Quebec. The season concluded on November 25 with the 53rd Vanier Cup championship at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. This season saw the first conference shift since 2001 with the Bishop's Gaiters moving from the Quebec Student Sport Federation to the Atlantic University Sport conference. 27 university teams in Canada participated in the newly re-branded U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football. The Western Mustangs defeated the Laval Rouge et Or, 39-17, to win their first Vanier Cup since 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 U Sports University Cup</span>

The 2020 U Sports Men's University Cup Hockey Tournament was scheduled for March 2020 in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the Scotiabank Centre, but was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic after the first day of competition. The Acadia Axemen, a member of U Sports Atlantic University Sport conference, were the designated host. Scotiabank Centre is 99 kilometres south of the school's campus (Wolfville). This event marked the third appearance of the tournament in Halifax, which hosted the 2015 and 2016 tournaments. This was the first time that Acadia was the host of the tournament; St. Francis Xavier University and Saint Mary's University split hosting rights (respectively) during the previous two-year stint.

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The 2020 U Sports football season was scheduled to feature Canadian football competition under the auspices of U Sports as the highest level of competition for amateur football in Canada in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, U Sports cancelled the national championships and the Atlantic University Sport, Canada West, and Ontario University Athletics conferences announced the complete cancellation of their schedules on June 8. The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec conference waited to make a decision until September 14, when they also announced that all university sports would be cancelled for the remainder of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Sports men's volleyball</span>

U Sports men's volleyball is the highest level of amateur play of men's indoor volleyball in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports. Thirty-one teams from Canadian universities are divided into three athletic conferences, drawing from the three of the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CW), Ontario University Athletics (OUA), and Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ). The Atlantic University Sport (AUS) formerly featured men's volleyball as a U Sports championship sport, but it was removed following the 2017–18 season. The 31 participating teams compete in a regular season and following intra-conference playoffs, eight teams are selected to play in a national tournament to compete for the U Sports men's volleyball championship.

The 2021 U Sports Women's Volleyball Championship was scheduled to be held March 19–21, 2021, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to determine a national champion for the 2020–21 U Sports women's volleyball season. However, the due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, it was announced on October 15, 2020 that the tournament was cancelled. It was the second consecutive year that the national championship was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The 2021 U Sports football season began on August 28, 2021, with the Sherbrooke Vert et Or hosting the Montreal Carabins in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The Atlantic University Sport conference began play on September 17, 2021, and ten Ontario University Athletics teams opened their seasons on September 18, 2021. The Canada West conference began their regular season last with all six teams playing on September 25, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, all conferences except the RSEQ played six regular season games while the RSEQ played eight.

The 2022 U Sports football season began on August 27, 2022, with four Atlantic University Sport teams, four RSEQ teams, and ten Ontario University Athletics teams opening their schedules that day. The six Canada West teams began their schedules one week later with two games on September 2 and one on September 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U Sports men's basketball</span> University mens basketball

U Sports men's basketball is the highest level of amateur play of basketball in Canada and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. Forty-eight teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic conferences, drawing from the four regional associations of U Sports: Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Ontario University Athletics, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec, and Atlantic University Sport. At the end of every season, eight teams compete for the W. P. McGee Trophy, awarded to the U Sports Men's Basketball Championship team.

The 2023 U Sports football season began on August 25, 2023, with the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. On the following day, ten Ontario University Athletics teams, four Atlantic University Sport teams, and two RSEQ opened their schedules on August 26, 2023. On the following weekend, the six Canada West teams opened their seasons on September 1, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 U Sports University Cup</span> Canadian university ice hockey championship

The 2024 U Sports University Cup was the 62nd edition of the U Sports men's ice hockey championship held between March 14-17, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, to determine a national champion for the 2023–24 U Sports men's ice hockey season.

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