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 championship tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
| 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.[5] 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.[5] For the 1969-1970 season, the Calgary Dinos were named the first unofficial champions.[2] The first official champions were the Manitoba Bisons, who were crowned following the 1970-1971 season.[2] 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.[6]
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 Bisons | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1972 | Laurentian (Sudbury, ON) |
Western Ontario Mustangs | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1973 | Acadia (Wolfville, NS) |
UBC Thunderbirds | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1974 | British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) |
UBC Thunderbirds | 3–2 | Western Ontario Mustangs | 5 | ||
| 1975 | Laval (Quebec City, QC) |
Western Ontario Mustangs | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1976 | Manitoba/Winnipeg (Winnipeg, MB) |
Western Ontario Mustangs | 3–1 | UBC Thunderbirds | 5 | ||
| 1977 | Waterloo (Waterloo, ON) |
UBC Thunderbirds | 3–0 | Western Ontario Mustangs | 5 | ||
| 1978 | Moncton (Moncton, NB) |
UBC Thunderbirds | 3–1 | Western Ontario Mustangs | 6 | ||
| 1979 | McMaster (Hamilton, ON) |
Saskatchewan Huskies | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1980 | Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK) |
Saskatchewan Huskies | 3–1 | Ottawa Gee-Gees | 6 | ||
| 1981 | Victoria (Victoria, BC) |
Saskatchewan Huskies | 3–1 | Manitoba Bisons | 6 | ||
| 1982 | Dalhousie (Halifax, NS) |
Dalhousie Tigers | 3–2 | Calgary Dinos | 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 | 3 | 0 | 1976 |
| Saskatchewan Huskies | Canada West | 3 | 1 | 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 |
| Ryerson Rams | OUA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2018 |
| Toronto Varsity Blues | OUA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2016 |
| Victoria Vikes/Vikettes | Canada West | 0 | 2 | 0 | None |
| Montreal Carabins | RSEQ | 0 | 1 | 2 | None |
| Ottawa Gee-Gees | RSEQ | 0 | 1 | 0 | None |
| York Lions/Yeowomen | OUA | 0 | 0 | 4 | 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.
- "Varsity Blues Women's Volleyball History". Toronto Varsity Blues. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- "CIS Championship Results" (PDF). usports.ca. U Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2020.