CW Women's volleyball playoffs hit the hardcourt
Catch all the action on CWTV presented by Co-op
Brian Swane, special to CW
The Road to the Canada West Women’s Volleyball Final Four begins this weekend with Trinity Western seeking a third consecutive championship. But after waiting two years to defend their title, the Spartans will face many challengers in a first-time playoff format.
There are many numbers to crunch as postseason volleyball comes back to courts across western Canada. Week one, Thursday through Saturday, will see teams vying for the top two spots in each of three four-team pools, being hosted by Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Trinity Western.
Teams finishing first and second place in each pool advance to Week Two of the playoffs, March 11 – 13. The field will then be whittled down to the final four participants who will square off for the Women’s Intervarsity Volleyball Trophy, March 18 and 19.
This exciting format is brand new to Canada West, which revised its playoff structure for 2022 following the cancellation of the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since returning to action in November, the student-athletes of Canada West haven’t missed a beat, showcasing their dedication throughout a successful regular season schedule that concluded last weekend.
Pool A hosted by Trinity Western University at Langley Events Centre in Langley
Brandon (9-7, 2nd in East Division)
- Of Note: The Bobcats authored one of the bigger recent season-to-season turnarounds, winning more than half their games this season after going 4-20 in 2019-20.
- One to Watch: First-year outside hitter Keely Anderson had nine service aces against Manitoba on Feb. 17, the second most in a Canada West match over the last 13 years.
Calgary (5-13, 4th in Central Division)
- Of Note: The Dinos will be host team at the 2022 U Sports Women’s Volleyball Championships, taking place at the Jack Simpson Gym in Calgary March 25-27.
- One to Watch: Fourth-year outside hitter Kenzie Vaandering, a graduate student, is the most tenured Dinos player and has prior U Sports Championship experience.
Trinity Western (15-1, 1st in West Division)
- Of Note: The Spartans have won 12 straight matches since suffering their only loss of the season in a five-set thriller against UBC on Nov. 26.
- One to Watch: Third-year outside hitter Savannah Purdy led Canada West with 40 service aces, including a season-high eight on Feb. 12 at Thompson Rivers.
UFV (6-10, 4th in West Division)
- Of Note: The Cascades made their Canada West debut on Nov. 5, and needed just one week to get their first Canada West victory, 3-1 at UBC on Nov. 12.
- One to Watch: Fourth-year outside hitter Sadie Wilson has previous Canada West postseason experience, competing with Mount Royal in 2019 before transferring to UFV.
Pool B hosted by University of Alberta at Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton
Alberta (16-2, 1st in Central Division)
- Of note: The Pandas have won 11 Canada West championships under the guidance of Laurie Eisler, who is in her 31st season as Alberta’s head coach.
- One to Watch: Fifth-year outside hitter Kory White recorded her 1,322nd career kill on Feb. 18 to break the all-time Canada West record.
Regina (5-11, 5th in East Division)
- Of Note: The Cougars had the third most total blocks in Canada West, and ranked second in the conference to only Saskatchewan with a 2.17 blocks per set average.
- One to Watch: Fourth-year outside hitter Jessica Lerminiaux led Canada West in both total kills, 265, and kills per set, 4.27.
UBC (9-7, 2nd in West Division)
- Of Note: The T-Birds have had a uniquely long reign as national champs, after capturing gold the last time the U Sports Women’s Volleyball Championships were held in 2019.
- One to Watch: Third-year setter Kayla Oxland led UBC in assists for a second consecutive season, and ranked fifth in Canada West with 8.87 assists per set.
Winnipeg (6-10, 3rd in East Division)
- Of Note: The Wesmen have made the playoffs in both seasons under Phil Hudson, and will look to get their coach his first postseason win after being swept in the 2020 quarterfinals.
- One to Watch: Fourth-year left side Emma Parker was second in the conference with 257 digs, her third straight season topping 250.
Pool C hosted by University of Saskatchewan at Physical Activity Complex in Saskatoon
Manitoba (6-10, 4th in East Division)
- Of Note: The Bisons are playing their first postseason matches since February 2019 when they were defeated 3-0 by Calgary in the Canada West quarter-finals.
- One to Watch: Second-year outside hitter Light Uchechukwu was a Canada West All-Rookie selection in 2019-20 when she played the middle position.
Mount Royal (14-4, 2nd in Central Division)
- Of Note: The Cougars earned their first Canada West medal two years ago when they beat Thompson Rivers 3-0 in the 2020 bronze medal match.
- One to Watch: Third-year outside hitter Haley Roe was twice named MRU Athlete of the Week during the season, on Nov. 4 and Nov. 25.
Saskatchewan (14-2, 1st in East Division)
- Of Note: The Huskies were undefeated at home in 2021-22, going 8-0 at the PAC while dropping just four sets in the process.
- One to Watch: Fifth-year outside hitter Emily Koshinsky is wrapping up one of the great careers in program history, after setting the all-time Huskies record with 1,210 career kills.
UBC Okanagan (8-8, 3rd in West Division)
- Of Note: The Heat are back in the Canada West playoffs for the first time since 2018, when they advanced to the U Sports Women’s Volleyball Championships.
- One to Watch: Third-year setter Sara McCreary, a graduate student who serves as team captain, was a starter for UBCO’s back-to-back Canada West Final Four trips in 2017 and 2018.
You can catch all the action on CWTV presented by Co-op. For complete updates and results, visit the playoff page.
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