CIS: Championship Seeds Determined
The seedings are up for the 2015 CIS men's and women's volleyball championships, and some of the decisions have left us scratching our heads.
Women
- Trinity Western Spartans
- Alberta Pandas
- Toronto Varsity Blues
- Montreal Carabins
- UBC Thunderbirds
- Dalhousie Tigers
- Ottawa Gee-Gees
- Laval Rouge et Or
Men
- McMaster Marauders
- Dalhousie Tigers
- Alberta Bears
- Laval Rouge et Or
- Trinity Western Spartans
- Waterloo Warriors
- York Lions
- Saskatchewan Huskies
We've added the seeding-criteria, which interestingly enough is not the same for both men and women. This is why we see Dalhousie seeded sixth in the women's draw even though they're the AUS Champions while Laval, who haven't been in the Top Ten since the season-opening rankings, are seeded at No. 4.
It is a little more surprising to see the UBC Thunderbirds ranked above a conference champion. While they are the perennial powerhouse, the Thunderbirds did struggle this year with a 13-11 record, and were be no means a sure thing to make the tournament. Then again, swapping the T-Birds and the Tigers would result in a team that has been in seven-straight National finals pitted against the host, which is never a good idea.
The biggest surprise of all was the Dalhousie Tigers as the second seed. Sure a 16-1 record is impressive, but does the AUS deserve a higher seed than the Canada West, especially the defending champs? One could argue that Alberta deserves the #1 spot, so the third-seed seems to be a stretch.
The seeding makes little difference to the Golden Bears, who play one OUA team instead of another, but makes a much larger difference to the Waterloo Warriors. Having told us he expected to meet play Dalhousie in the first round, a meeting with the Canada West champions must come as a shock to Warriors Head Coach Chris Lawson. That's a serious difference in opponent.
Anyone who follows the CIS in the slightest way will tell you Alberta should be ranked higher than Dalhousie. This is no slight to Dalhousie; Alberta's roster is deep and features some of the country's best players, guys who have lifted the Tantramar Trophy once already.
One thing's for sure, after that opening serve, anything can (and will) happen, and watching it all go down is the best way to support your team.
Brackets
As always, we are hosting a CIS Volleyball bracket challenge. Check out the brackets below and fill out your prediction.