Graphic: WikipediaThe 2011-2012 CIS Women's Volleyball season is well underway and heading into the December break. We are going to take this time to review each conference on their way to this year's championship hosted by McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. We'll start off with the OUA.
OUA
With the departure of Laurier from CIS men's and women's volleyball, the OUA has now folded both divisions into one massive 13 team conference. At the top of the OUA is the York University Lions. Undefeated in nine games, the Lions have only dropped three sets this season. Even getting locked in an elevator for just under and hour right before they walked on the court didn't phase them as they defeated the OUA second place team, Ottawa by a score of 3-1. Ottawa sits in a little pack of three teams fighting out for the second spot of the OUA with a record of 7-3. The other two teams fighting it out with Ottawa are Queen's (6-2) and Toronto (6-3). U of T is showing quite the improvement from last year when they finished the regular season with a record of 5-14.
Canada West, AUS and RSEQ after the jump.
Home Court Advantage is a recurring series that focuses on the court, environment and playing conditions on men's and women's volleyball courts around the country. In this, the second post of the series, we will be focusing on the McMaster Marauders’ Burridge Gym.
The McMaster Marauders' Home Court.
The men’s and women’s teams for McMaster University play at the Burridge Gymnasium. It is located on the main campus of McMaster, toward the north east corner. McMaster is in Hamilton, specifically at 1280 Main St. W. It’s a short distance from the Main St. exits off Highway 403 (for those coming from east of Hamilton, it’s the QEW, which eventually becomes the 403).
More after the jump.
Wilfrid Laurier University ended both men's and women's varsity volleyball.
The Ontario volleyball community was dealt a unpredictable blow two weeks ago. Wilfrid Laurier University cancelled their men's and women's varsity volleyball programs. This decision came as a shock to everyone including the players. The dust has settled, but things are still very unclear. We spoke with a few current players and former players as we tried to put together all of this information.
More after the jump.
The past two weeks have been very busy. First we had CIS Volleyball Championships followed by CCAA Volleyball Championships. As our college and university coverage ends for the year, we put everything (news stories, podcasts, scoreboards, live streams and photos) together in one post for future reference. Here is all our coverage of both championships:
More after the jump
Trinity Western's 6 Daniel Jansen Van Doorn's attack is met by a closing Brandon Bobcats' double block.Sunday March 6th, 2011
Langley Events Centre
Langley, British Columbia
Trinity Western Spartans vs. Brandon Bobcats
The hosting Spartans blazed their way through an incredibly difficult road to the finals. First, they squeaked out a five set victory over the Alberta Golden Bears. Next was another five set thriller against the Calgary Dinos. Brandon's path came a little easier, without one match against a Canada West opponent up until the finals. But nothing is easy about playing against the Spartans in Langley. The Trinity Western faithful filled their standing section to the brim and more. Fans were flooding into the aisles, each remaining standing for the entire duration of the match. Body paint was everywhere, and it was hard to see the whole court through the maze of bodies. Brandon had a task in front of them if they truly desired to be crowned National Champions.
Full results of the CIS 2011 Season after the jump:
Laval's 6 Micael Girard attacks the hanging volleyball before the Calgary Dino's are able to set up their block. The two teams competed in the Bronze Medal Match on Sunday.Sunday March 6th, 2011
Langley Events Centre
Langley, British Columbia
Sunday marked the final day of competition in University volleyball across Canada. The women were duking it out in Laval. However, the highest honour of volleyball in Canada would be decided in Langley, as the CIS men's competition really set itself apart. The afternoon held the Consolation Finals between McMaster and Alberta, as well as the Bronze Medal Match between Laval and Calgary. The finals already guaranteed a Canada West Champion, as Trinity Western and Brandon would decide later. However, there was still business to take care of as the RSEQ and OUA attempted to put a dent in Canada West's armor.
Full consolation and bronze medal results and breakdown after the jump:
Laval's 4 Karl De Grandpre makes the adjustment to put his attack down the line. De Grandpre provided the Rouge et Or's largest impact all weekend.Saturday March 5th, 2011
Langley Events Centre
Langley, British Columbia
Saturday held the two Men's Volleyball CIS National Championship Semi-Finals. The respective winners of Brandon vs. Laval and Trinity Western vs. Calgary get a chance to play for the National Championship on Sunday. The CIS National Championship, since there are no professional leagues for indoor volleyball in North America, crowns the absolute best volleyball team in Canada. Depending on the year in NCAA volleyball, the CIS Championship could crown the best team in North America. It came as no surprise that three of the four remaining teams represented Canada West, as each year they tend to dominate.
Full match breakdown and recap after the jump:
UNB Varsity Reds' 5 Julio Fernandez gets low to dig a McMaster attack. Already setter 9 Stephane Fontaine has transitioned to offence.Saturday March 5, 2011
Langley Events Centre
Langley, British Columbia
The Consolation Semi-Finals were played out on Saturday, to decide which two teams were to compete for fifth place overall in Men's CIS Volleyball. The two matches to be played on Saturday were McMaster vs. UNB, and Alberta vs. Sherbrooke. The winning teams will play on Sunday, March 5th, at 12:00 pm PST. All of the teams playing today had to deal with a first round elimination on Friday. The emotional drain of having to reassess your goals can often reak havoc on a teams performance. These four squads, each representing a different feeder league for the CIS, had to pull it together to represent their respective provinces appropriately.
Full breakdown and results for both matches after the jump:
McMaster's 18 Tyson Alexander came in from off the bench to provide an unexpected contribution on Friday. At this moment, he beats the isolated single blocker.
Friday March 4th, 2011
Langley Events Centre
Langley, British Columbia
Brandon Bobcats vs. McMaster Marauders
The second match of the 2011 CIS Men's Volleyball National Championships featured Canada West's Brandon Bobcat's and the OUA's McMaster Marauders. Canada West has dominated this tournament historically, and with four teams in this years tournament a sweep of the medals is quite possible. The only other team matched-up against a Canada West squad is the lowly Sherbrooke Vert et Or, who have drawn the number one ranked team in all of Canada. Really, McMaster represented the only true threat of unseating a Canada West powerhouse in the first round.
Full breakdown and results of the match after the jump:
A few of Trinity Western's supporters group together on Friday. There is no place they could look normal except beside their excited peers.Friday March 4th, 2011
Langley Events Centre
Langley, British Columbia
Alberta Golden Bears vs. Trinity Western University Spartans
The third quarter-final match of the 2011 CIS Men's Volleyball National Championship was the first to feature host Trinity Western. The home team didn't fail to bring out a crowd. In fact, they brought out one of the crazier volleyball audiences I've ever seen for University volleyball. At least 400 people clad entirely in blue and yellow showed up to the Langley Events Centre. Some were entirely covered in body paint. One section of thirty some fans truly embodied the title "nutcase". They were wearing women's dresses to resemble spartans, were singing spartan songs, and were ripping the head off of a plush teddy bear. Where I sat, you were forced to stand amongst the other hundreds of supporters in order to see the floor clearly. And this was just a quarter-final.
Full breakdown and results after the jump: