 | |
| Formerly | CWIAU Volleyball CIAU Volleyball CIS Volleyball |
|---|---|
| Sport | Volleyball |
| Founded | 1969; 56 years ago (1969) |
| No. of teams | 43, in four conferences |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion | Manitoba Bisons (2025) |
| Most titles | UBC Thunderbirds (14)[1] |
| Related competitions | U Sports Volleyball Championship |
| Official website | usports.ca/wvball |
U Sports women's volleyball is the highest level of amateur play ofindoor volleyball inCanada and operates under the auspices ofU Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). 43 teams fromCanadian universities are divided into fourathletic 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), andAtlantic University Sport (AUS). Following intra-conference playoffs, eight teams are selected to play in a national tournament to compete for theU Sports women's volleyball championship.
Organized university volleyball was first played inOntario in the 1947-48 school year between theToronto Varsity Blues and theMcMaster 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), theSaskatchewan Huskies were named the first champions inWestern 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, andOAC becoming the first four programs to compete in an Ontario league.[2] For the 1952-93 season,McGill andQueen's joined competition in the WIAU.[2] TheAtlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (AIAA) began awarding championships for volleyball for the 1959-60 season which was won by theUNB 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 theUniversity of Waterloo and won by theCalgary Dinos in the spring of 1970.[7][8] The first official championship was awarded following the 1970-71 season and was won by theManitoba 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, andRegina 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11][12]
To prepare for the season, teams will typically play a series ofexhibition 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]
As of the 2023-24 season, theRSEQ begin their season first, on the second Friday of October.[17] TheCanada West conference begins play one week later and theAUS andOUA 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 ten other opponents resulting in 20 total games played.[19] The OUA features 15 teams in one conference after previously having teams split in an east and west division.[13][20] OUA teams play two games against 10 different opponents, leaving four teams as non-combatants for each team's schedule.[20] 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, theMary Lyons Award is awarded annually to the Player of the Year in U Sports women's volleyball.[21] 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 theLibero of the Year, but it was discontinued after the 2014-15 season.[22]
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 abest-of-three series including in the conference championship.[17][23] In Canada West, the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs and play best-of-three series in playoff brackets in the quarterfinals.[24] The winners of these series play in best-of-three semifinals until two teams remain where they play in asingle elimination conference championship game.[24]
The OUA is the only conference that features a single elimination format in all playoff games.[20] Teams are seeded one through eight and advance to the semi-finals in abracket format with the higher-seeded team hosting each game.[20] The highest-seeded remaining team hosts the conference championship, theQuigley Cup.[20]
TheU 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.[25] 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.[25] TheUBC Thunderbirds have won the most championships with 14 gold medals won, followed by the eight titles won by theManitoba Bisons.[8] The national championship has historically been dominated by theCanada West conference with those teams winning 44 of the 53 championship matches as of the 2024-25 season.[8] The2020 and2021 championship tournaments were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11]
There were 43 teams that had participated in the 2024–25 Women's volleyball season.[26][27] Recently,St. Francis Xavier andCape Breton previously had programs is the AUS conference, but they were cut due to budgetary reasons in 2013 and 2015, respectively.[28][29] On the opposite side, the Canada West conference has seen a growth in team membership, adding theUBCO Heat in 2011-12,Mount Royal Cougars in 2012-13,MacEwan Griffins in 2014-15, and theUFV Cascades in 2020-21.[30][31][32] TheUQTR Patriotes are playing in the RSEQ Division 1 as of the 2021-22 season after playing in the conference's Division 2.[33] After becoming the 57th member of U Sports, theUQAC Inuk fielded a women's volleyball team beginning in 2023.[34] TheETS Piranhas became a member of U Sports in 2024 with their women's volleyball team playing the same year.[35] TheOttawa Gee-Gees announced intentions to move from the RSEQ and joined the OUA beginning with the 2024-25 season.[36]
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Arena | CWC | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of British Columbia | Thunderbirds | Vancouver | BC | War Memorial Gymnasium | 16 | 14 |
| Trinity Western University | Spartans | Langley | BC | Langley Events Centre | 6 | 2 |
| University of the Fraser Valley | Cascades | Abbotsford | BC | Envision Athletic Centre | 0 | 0 |
| Thompson Rivers University | WolfPack | Kamloops | BC | Tournament Capital Centre | 0 | 0 |
| University of British Columbia Okanagan | Heat | Kelowna | BC | UBC Okanagan Gymnasium | 0 | 0 |
| University of Calgary | Dinos | Calgary | AB | Jack Simpson Gymnasium | 9 | 3 |
| Mount Royal University | Cougars | Calgary | AB | Kenyon Court | 0 | 0 |
| University of Alberta | Pandas | Edmonton | AB | Saville Community Sports Centre | 19 | 7 |
| MacEwan University | Griffins | Edmonton | AB | Dr. David W. Atkinson Gymnasium | 0 | 0 |
| University of Saskatchewan | Huskies | Saskatoon | SK | Physical Activity Complex | 13 | 3 |
| University of Regina | Cougars | Regina | SK | Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport | 0 | 0 |
| University of Brandon | Bobcats | Brandon | MB | Healthy Living Centre | 0 | 0 |
| University of Manitoba | Bisons | Winnipeg | MB | Investors Group Athletic Centre | 7 | 8 |
| University of Winnipeg | Wesmen | Winnipeg | MB | Duckworth Centre | 0 | 7 |
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Arena | OC | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakehead University | Thunderwolves | Thunder Bay | ON | The Wolf Den | 0 | 0 |
| University of Windsor | Lancers | Windsor | ON | St. Denis Centre | 1 | 0 |
| University of Western Ontario | Mustangs | London | ON | Alumni Hall | 11 | 3 |
| University of Waterloo | Warriors | Waterloo | ON | Physical Activities Complex | 0 | 0 |
| University of Guelph | Gryphons | Guelph | ON | Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre | 0 | 0 |
| McMaster University | Marauders | Hamilton | ON | Burridge Gymnasium | 4 | 0 |
| Brock University | Badgers | St. Catharines | ON | Bob Davis Gymnasium | 3 | 0 |
| Nipissing University | Lakers | North Bay | ON | Robert J. Surtees Student Athletics Centre | 0 | 0 |
| York University | Lions | Toronto | ON | Tait McKenzie Centre | 15 | 0 |
| University of Toronto | Varsity Blues | Toronto | ON | Goldring Centre | 12 | 1 |
| Toronto Metropolitan University | Bold | Toronto | ON | Mattamy Athletic Centre | 1 | 1 |
| Trent University | Excalibur | Peterborough | ON | Trent Athletics Centre | 0 | 0 |
| Queen's University | Gaels | Kingston | ON | Athletics & Recreation Centre | 1 | 0 |
| Royal Military College of Canada | Paladins | Kingston | ON | SAM Gym | 0 | 0 |
| University of Ottawa | Gee-Gees | Ottawa | ON | Montpetit Hall | 5 | 0 |
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Arena | CC | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Université Laval | Rouge et Or | Quebec City | QC | PEPS gymnase | 25 | 1 |
| McGill University | Martlets | Montreal | QC | Love Competition Hall | 1 | 0 |
| Université de Montréal | Carabins | Montreal | QC | CEPSUM | 16 | 0 |
| Université du Québec à Chicoutimi | Inuk | Chicoutimi | QC | Pavillon sportif de l'UQAC | 0 | 0 |
| Université du Québec à Montréal | Citadins | Montreal | QC | Centre sportif UQAM | 1 | 0 |
| Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | Patriotes | Trois-Rivières | QC | Centre de l'Activité Physique et Sportive | 0 | 0 |
| Université de Sherbrooke | Vert et Or | Sherbrooke | QC | Centre sportif Yvon-Lamarche | 9 | 2 |
| École de technologie supérieure | Piranhas | Montreal | QC | Centre sportif ÉTS | 0 | 0 |
| University | Varsity Name | City | Province | Arena | AC | NC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Université de Moncton | Aigles Bleues | Moncton | NB | CEPS | 6 | 0 |
| University of New Brunswick | Reds | Fredericton | NB | Richard J Currie Centre | 19 | 0 |
| Acadia University | Axewomen | Wolfville | NS | Stu Aberdeen Court | 1 | 0 |
| Dalhousie University | Tigers | Halifax | NS | Dalplex Fieldhouse | 27 | 1 |
| Saint Mary's University | Huskies | Halifax | NS | Homburg Centre | 7 | 0 |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | Sea-Hawks | St. John's | NL | The Field House | 3 | 0 |
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| See also | ||
