CIS Playoffs: Saturday February 19th
The CIS Playoffs will continue through the weekend until both the men and women have decided which teams will compete for each individual league finals. Every league (RSEQ, AUS, CanadaWest, OUA) has begun their playoffs, and each have their own slight variations on the brackets. For many leagues, even the men and women compete differently to find an eventual winner. We'll be going league by league, giving the results so far, and the match-ups for today.
If there was only one fact worth knowing about the RSEQ, it would be that Laval is the best team both men and women offer. For years this has been the case, and for years this will be the case. In men's action last night, the first game of their finals, decided by a best of three, took place. Laval swept Sherbrooke 3-0 (full boxscore provided here courtesy of CIS-SIC.ca). For the women, Laval also took the first game of their best of three, though they were pushed one extra set in their 3-1 win.
Both matches have a day off today, and will resume tomorrow, February 20th. If either match requires a third game, it will be played the following weekend, on Saturday February 25th.
In men's competition, the AUS bracket looks very similar to the RSEQ. UNB and Dalhousie opened their best of three finals last night. The AUS, however, puts forward a much more competitive product than the often-predictable RSEQ. Dal and UNB fought for five sets, when eventually UNB took over. The match was close, but UNB now leads the best of three 1-0. As with the RSEQ, there isn't a game today. They will resume on Sunday.
The women play a different style of playoffs. Last night, they opened the playoffs with a single match to decide who moves on from the quarter-finals to the semis. Dalhousie and St. FX emerged victorious in their matches, and each move on to play a higher seed that had been waiting for them with a bye yesterday. The matches today look as follows, with the winners going on to play in the finals tomorrow night:
4:30 pm AST St. FX vs. Saint Mary's
7:00 pm AST Dalhousie vs. UNB
The competition for volleyball in the West is more competitive than anywhere else in Canada. Their playoffs are decided by best of three series even in the quarter-finals. Their quarter finals started on Thursday across multiple provinces. Calgary beat UBC on both Thursday and Friday, eliminating them from competition. Trinity Western didn't even lose a set to Thompson Rivers, and that pushes TWU through to the semis. Brandon and Manitoba are also competing in the quarter-finals in a match that looks to be the most competitive in the West. Manitoba won a five set thriller last night to go ahead by one, but the two teams will meet again tonight. The eventual winners will have one semi-final, while the top ranked team will sit out with a bye as they wait to play in the finals.
7:00 pm CST Brandon vs. Manitoba
The women in the West are looking at a similar playoff. Trinity Western, as with the men, won both of their matches against Regina without losing a set. They are now into the semis. Alberta and Manitoba each won their first matches last night, and today Calgary and Brandon will try to even the score. If necessary, the teams will play a third match on Sunday.
7:00 pm CST Manitoba vs. Brandon
7:00 pm MST Alberta vs. Calgary (watch stream)
Both the men and women have a handful of matches, as the OUA Playoffs really get going today. Last night, the only match was between the men from Guelph and Windsor. It was pushed to five sets, but Guelph ended up maintaining their expectations as the favourite as they won. It's all based on one-day playoffs, so that eliminates Windsor from competition. A full breakdown of the OUA Playoffs can be found here, as Kill on Two has a close eye on Ontario volleyball. Kill on Two will be in Hamilton tonight, to watch both the women and men from McMaster begin their playoffs. Check back with our site for full coverage. There is only one match streaming tonight, as Queen's heads to Ottawa in women's action:
5:00 pm ET Queen's vs. Ottawa (watch stream)
A full schedule can be found here (men, women), courtesy of CIS-SIC.ca. Check back with Kill on Two for updates, results, live scores, and more previews.