Hamilton, ON- Akash Grewal stepped up to the service line with all eyes on her in the Burridge Gym. With the national championship on the line. The third-year outside hitter is one of the best servers in the country. Her UBC Thunderbirds were tied at 23 with the Alberta Pandas in the fourth set of the finals of the U SPORTS women’s volleyball championship. She … Continue reading Thunderbirds’ National Title a Year in the Making
Hamilton, ON- After all the highs and lows of their victory over the Manitoba Bisons, Abby Guezen still felt lots of adrenaline. How could she not after what just happened? Guezen and her Alberta Pandas had just edged out the Manitoba Bisons in a five-set thriller in the national semi-final on Mar. 16. A game of trading points, fine margins and relentless defence. A game … Continue reading Abby Guezen and the Pandas fight their way to championship finals
Hamilton, ON- When Alberta Pandas middle Allie Moore thought what prepared her team for their nationals quarter-final win over the Montreal Carabins, she thought about her conference. “I think Canada West has the best teams in the country,” Moore said. Her Pandas team has played against the Manitoba Bisons and UBC Thunderbirds multipe times this season. They’ve played in long four or five set matches. … Continue reading Canada West Teams Power through to Women’s Volleyball Semis
Hamilton, ON- As the top U SPORTS women’s volleyball teams descend upon Hamilton for the national championships, we will find out whether the trend of Canada West dominance will continue. The conference that has produced 13 of the past 15 national champions – the only exceptions being Toronto in 2016 and Toronto Metropolitan University in 2018. The conference that usually sends at least three teams … Continue reading Is the West the Best at U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Nationals?
Hamilton, ON- As the bronze medal match ended, the realization came for Dave Preston. He was standing on the sidelines of the Burridge Gym, coaching the team he’d coached since 2002– the McMaster men’s volleyball team. He had been at nationals before but this time was different. It was his last-ever game as McMaster’s head coach. The team secured a three-set victory over the Alberta … Continue reading “I wanted to soak that one in”: Marauders Capture Bronze in Dave Preston’s FarewellÂ
Hamilton, ON- As quarterfinal action started and concluded at the U SPORTS men’s volleyball nationals, it would be a day for the higher-ranked seeds. The three conference champions – the Alberta Golden Bears, McMaster Marauders, Sherbrooke Vert et Or – and the Canada West runner up Trinity Western Spartans all advanced to the semi-finals. Some games were tighter than others but none went five sets. A … Continue reading “The Top of the Top”: How higher-ranked teams advanced in Men’s Volleyball Quarterfinals
Hamilton, ON- With this year’s U SPORTS women’s basketball Final 8 field set, one thing stands out from last year: the different teams. Three of the four semi-finalists from 2022 are gone. The only teams returning from last year’s nationals are Queen’s and Acadia. Also, five of the eight teams have never won a national championship and among the three who have (Carleton, Alberta, Calgary), only … Continue reading U SPORTS WBB Final 8 Preview: Winds of Change Blowing in Sydney?
Hamilton, ON- Almost all the teams had been determined already by the end of Saturday night for the men’s and women’s basketball U SPORTS Final 8 tournaments. Now, we know the seeding and matchups. On the women’s side, the OUA champion Carleton Ravens earn the number one seed. The last time the Ravens were the one seed, they won the national title in 2018. They face … Continue reading U SPORTS Final 8 At-Large berths and Seeding Announced
Hamilton, ON- With fall upon us, it’s a reminder that exhibition tournaments and games are tipping off for U Sports women’s basketball teams. There are usually games between nonconference opponents, NCAA opponents (although none this year so far) and CCAA opponents. One of the most exciting parts of the preseason are exhibition tournaments, where teams often play two or three games in a short time period … Continue reading 2022 U Sports Women’s Basketball Exhibition Tournament Guide: Preseason Basketball is Back
Edmonton, AL – Who doesn’t love sports brackets? Everyone gets way too invested, people way so smug when they predict something correctly, you get to feel like an idiot when the 3-seed takes down the 6-seed you were confident was going all the way in the quarter-final. For most of March, the world has been focused on March Madness in the NCAA, where the odds … Continue reading Rich’s U SPORTS MBB Final 8 Predictions
