U Sports women's volleyball championship
The U Sports women's volleyball championship is an annual tournament that features the top eight women's volleyball teams from among competing Canadian universities in U Sports. 11 games are played over a period of three days culminating in a national championship being awarded.[1] The championship trophy, first awarded in 1977, features a two-wheeled oxcart, symbolizing the pioneer era on the Red River in Manitoba.[2] The 2019 champions are the UBC Thunderbirds, who have also won the most championships with a total of 12, including six in a row from 2008 to 2013.[3] The 2020 and 2021 championship tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5]
| U Sports women's volleyball championship | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Indoor volleyball |
| League | U Sports |
| First played | 1971 |
| Most recently played | 2019 |
| Current champions | UBC Thunderbirds |
| Current runners-up | Ryerson Rams |
| Most titles | UBC Thunderbirds (12) |
History
While intercollegiate volleyball had been played in Canada since 1947, championships had been played for conference titles only.[6] In 1969, the Canadian Women's Interuniversity Athletic Union (CWIAU) was formed (a precursor to today's U Sports organization) to provide a regulatory body for national competition.[6] For the 1969–1970 season, the Calgary Dinos were named the first unofficial champions.[2] The first official champions were the Manitoba Bisonettes, who were crowned following the 1970–1971 season after they defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues in four sets.[2][7] While full historical championship results are not readily available, the championship was initially a round-robin tournament where the teams with the best records would then play for the championship. This was changed for the 1983 championship when the tournament changed to single-elimination.[8]
Format
The championship currently consists of an eight-team tournament, with champions from each of the four conferences, one host, an additional OUA team, and two additional Canada West teams.[1] While the berths for the conference champions and host remain consistent year-to-year, the other three invitees can change based on the host's conference and the competitive landscape in U Sports. The championship takes place over three days and features 11 games, with teams seeded 1–8. Teams are ranked by a committee as well as by the ELO ranking used to determine weekly Top 10 rankings nationally.[1] Conference champions can be ranked no lower than 6th place. The team ranked 1st plays the 8th ranked team, 2nd plays 7th, 3rd plays 6th, and 4th plays 5th in the quarter-finals. To ensure common rest times, teams are not re-seeded after the first round, so the winner of 1v8 plays the winner of 4v5 and the winner of 2v7 plays the winner of 3v6.[1] There is also a consolation bracket to determine the third-place winner (bronze medalist) and fifth-place winner. The gold medal game is the last game played in the tournament.[1]
Results
Round Robin Format (1971–1982)
| Year | Host (City) |
Championship final | Teams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | |||||
| 1971 | Calgary (Calgary, AB) |
Manitoba Bisonettes | 3–1 | Toronto Varsity Blues | 4 | ||
| 1972 | Laurentian (Sudbury, ON) |
Western Ontario Mustangs | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1973 | Acadia (Wolfville, NS) |
UBC Thunderettes | 3–1 | Western Ontario Mustangs | N/A | ||
| 1974 | British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) |
UBC Thunderettes | 3–2 | Western Ontario Mustangs | 5 | ||
| 1975 | Laval (Quebec City, QC) |
Western Ontario Mustangs | N/A | Saskatchewan Huskiettes | N/A | ||
| 1976 | Manitoba/Winnipeg (Winnipeg, MB) |
Western Ontario Mustangs | 3–1 | UBC Thunderettes | 5 | ||
| 1977 | Waterloo (Waterloo, ON) |
UBC Thunderettes | 3–0 | Western Ontario Mustangs | 5 | ||
| 1978 | Moncton (Moncton, NB) |
UBC Thunderettes | 3–1 | Western Ontario Mustangs | 6 | ||
| 1979 | McMaster (Hamilton, ON) |
Saskatchewan Huskiettes | 3–1 | York Yeowomen | N/A | ||
| 1980 | Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK) |
Saskatchewan Huskiettes | 3–1 | Ottawa Gee-Gees | 6 | ||
| 1981 | Victoria (Victoria, BC) |
Saskatchewan Huskiettes | 3–1 | Manitoba Bisons | 6 | ||
| 1982 | Dalhousie (Halifax, NS) |
Dalhousie Tigers | 3–2 | Calgary Dinosaurs | 6 | ||
Single Elimination Format (1983–present)
Top 3 finishes table
Due to information limitations, the following table includes all known first, second, and third-place finishes, as indicated above. Prior to 1983, there were no third-place finishes, and the second-place finish was the loser of the championship game.
| Team | Conference | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBC Thunderbirds | Canada West | 12 | 6 | 5 | 2019 |
| Alberta Pandas | Canada West | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2007 |
| Manitoba Bisons | Canada West | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2014 |
| Winnipeg Wesmen | Canada West | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1993 |
| Calgary Dinos | Canada West | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2004 |
| Western Ontario Mustangs | OUA | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1976 |
| Saskatchewan Huskies | Canada West | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1981 |
| Sherbrooke Vert et Or | RSEQ | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2005 |
| Laval Rouge et Or | RSEQ | 1 | 4 | 9 | 2006 |
| Trinity Western Spartans | Canada West | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2015 |
| Dalhousie Tigers | AUS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1982 |
| Toronto Varsity Blues | OUA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2016 |
| Ryerson Rams | OUA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2018 |
| Victoria Vikes/Vikettes | Canada West | 0 | 2 | 0 | None |
| York Lions/Yeowomen | OUA | 0 | 1 | 4 | None |
| Montreal Carabins | RSEQ | 0 | 1 | 2 | None |
| Ottawa Gee-Gees | RSEQ | 0 | 1 | 0 | None |
| McGill Martlets | RSEQ | 0 | 0 | 1 | None |
| UBC Okanagan Heat | Canada West | 0 | 0 | 1 | None |
External links
References
- "Playing Regulations: Women's Volleyball" (PDF). U Sports. June 25, 2019.
- "U Sports Volleyball Championship History". usports.ca. U Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- "Gold Medal Game: T-Birds flying again as national champions". U Sports. March 18, 2019.
- "Women's volleyball nationals cancelled at U of C". Calgary Sun. March 13, 2020.
- "U Sports unable to offer national championships in winter 2021". usports.ca. U Sports. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- "Varsity Blues Women's Volleyball History". Toronto Varsity Blues. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- Martin, Melissa (January 16, 2015). "The first spike: 'Bisonettes' claimed first women's national volleyball championship". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- "CIS Championship Results" (PDF). usports.ca. U Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- "Girls finish third". The Chevron. March 12, 1971. p. 18. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "1979 University of Saskatchewan Huskiettes Women's Volleyball Team". Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- "WEEK 11 – Huskie Athletics Top 100 Moments". independentsportsnews.com. November 29, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- "Right here in our own backyard". The Ubyssey. March 6, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Women athletes victorious" (PDF). UBC Reports. March 15, 1973. p. 4. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Marilyn Walter". Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Marilyn Walter". Mustang Volley. Retrieved July 28, 2020.