WVB Final Four Preview

Article by Brian Swane, special to CW

March 7, 2025 - A remarkable field is set for the 2025 Canada West Women’s Volleyball Final Four this week at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton.

There’s the host Alberta Pandas, who earned home court by virtue of having the best record of all remaining teams.

There’s the defending champion Manitoba Bisons, who haven’t lost a Canada West postseason match in more than two years.

There’s the perennial powerhouse UBC Thunderbirds, who have the most titles in modern conference history.

And then there’s the underdog Saskatchewan Huskies, who just pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Canada West playoff history.

Each of these teams has reason to believe they can capture the Women’s Intervarsity Volleyball Trophy, but only one will be celebrating when the final point is scored after two days of competition on the University of Alberta’s south campus.

Competition begins Friday, with semifinal matches pitting the Huskies against the Thunderbirds (4 p.m. MST) and the Pandas versus the Bisons (6 p.m. MST). On Saturday, the semifinal losers will meet for the bronze medal (5 p.m. MST) followed by the semifinal winners squaring off in the gold medal game (7 p.m. MST).

The Bisons know what it takes to get it done at this time of year, with a roster that includes 10 veteran players who were part of last postseason’s championship triumph, the program’s first conference title since 1972. They also know how to win at the Saville Community Sports Centre, as Manitoba was the only visiting team to beat the Pandas during the 2024-25 season, winning in straight sets on Nov. 1.

Since suffering that defeat at the hands of the Bisons more than four months ago, Alberta hasn’t lost. On Nov. 2, the Pandas bounced back to defeat the Bisons in five sets, beginning a win streak that has now reached 19 matches spanning the regular season and playoffs. Eleven of those wins have come at home, where the Pandas will have a boisterous crowd in their corner.

UBC slumped at the end of the season, losing four of its final six matches, but got back on track emphatically in the best-of-three quarterfinal round last week, sweeping past the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack without dropping a single set. After dropping the Canada West final in five sets to Manitoba last year, the Thunderbirds would like nothing more than another crack at the championship match.

Standing in UBC’s way is one of the great Cinderella stories of recent memory. Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022, Saskatchewan began its run two weeks ago by defeating the Trinity Western Spartans in the play-in round. Then last week, the Huskies traveled to Abbotsford where they stunned the top-seeded UFV Cascades, who previously hadn’t dropped a single set at home this calendar year.

The action from Edmonton this week promises to be electrifying. Tickets for both days are available for purchase online, and all matches can be streamed on Canada West TV – Powered by BioSteel.

Final Four Teams at a Glance

No. 2 Alberta Pandas

No. 3 Manitoba Bisons

No. 4 UBC Thunderbirds

No. 8 Saskatchewan Huskies