June 27, 2024 –Canada West volleyball fans can now circle their calendars.
The conference has unveiled its 2024-25 volleyball schedule, with both men’s and women’s action returning on opening weekend Oct. 18-20. The regular season will span 13 weeks, wrapping up on Feb. 15.
This year features a new playoff format that sees 10 teams qualify for the postseason. Playoffs begin with a best-of-three play-in series Feb. 21 to 23, featuring the #7 seed hosting the #10 seed and the #8 seed hosting the #9 seed. A best-of-three quarterfinal round follows from Feb. 28 to March 1, with a “Final Four” format for the semis and bronze/gold medal games taking place the following weekend.
The regular season reflects the schedule format changes announced by the conference last October, placing increased emphasis on regional rivalries. In both men’s and women’s volleyball, each school has four annual opponents they will play each season and will rotate through the remaining teams. Men’s teams will play six of eight opponents each year, while women’s teams will play six of nine opponents each year.
U SPORTS Volleyball Championships Headed for Manitoba
Canada West volleyball programs continued to dominate on the national stage last season, claiming five of a possible six medals at U SPORTS championships. On the women’s side, the UBC Thunderbirds successfully defended their national title with a championship victory over conference rival Alberta, while Manitoba defeated Acadia to take the bronze. In the men’s tourney, it was the Alberta Golden Bears who earned their U SPORTS record-tying 10th national championship by defeating Sherbrooke in an instant classic of a final, while UBC downed host Queen’s to take the bronze.
All roads lead to the province of Manitoba for this year’s U SPORTS national championships. The University of Manitoba hosts the women’s tournament March 14-16 in Winnipeg, while Brandon University welcomes the men’s tournament March 21-23. ?
Manitoba outlasted UBC in a five-set thriller to claim their first CW championship. Photo by Jacob Mallari
WVB: Manitoba, UBC look to defend titles
In a conference filled with multiple powerhouse programs, Manitoba and UBC will look to defend the banners they claimed last season.
Powered by Raya Surinx, who was named last year’s Canada West and U SPORTS Player of the Year in just her sophomore season, the Manitoba Bisons enter 2024-25 with high expectations as defending conference champions and this year’s national championship host. The Bisons claimed their first CW title in program history last season in a five-set instant classic against UBC.
Despite the heartbreaking defeat in the CW final, UBC would bounce back to claim the U SPORTS national championship for a second straight season and the 14th time in program history, downing conference rival Alberta in the U SPORTS gold medal game.
A highly anticipated CW final rematch between UBC and Manitoba takes place Jan. 24 and 25 in Vancouver.
Coming off a U SPORTS silver and Canada West bronze medal last season, the Alberta Pandas will be hunting for gold in 2024-25. They’ll open the new season with a tough test against UFV on Oct. 18 and 19 in a rematch of last year’s CW bronze medal game.
Another perennial contender, the Trinity Western Spartans, will look to rebound from last year’s first round playoff exit. The Spartans had won four straight CW titles prior to last season and the last time the Spartans did not advance to the Canada West Final Four was in 2017-18. Volleyball fans will want to circle Nov. 1 and 8 on their calendars, as the Spartans are set to clash with west coast rival UBC.
On the men’s side, all eyes will be on Alberta to see what the Golden Bears can do for an encore after claiming last year’s Canada West and U SPORTS banners.
They’ll surely already have Jan. 17 and 18 circled on their calendars as they head to Langley to face off against rival Trinity Western. The two programs have matched up in the Canada West final in each of the last four years, with both teams claiming two CW titles apiece over that span. Last year’s final saw the Bears win 3-1 on home court, capturing their 15th overall CW title.
The UBC Thunderbirds will also be a team to watch, entering next season as the defending CW and U SPORTS bronze medalists. They get their season started with a juicy opening weekend matchup against the Winnipeg Wesmen. The T-Birds and Wesmen went back-and-forth in a gripping bronze medal contest last March, which UBC won in five sets.
As U SPORTS championship hosts, the Brandon Bobcats also enter with heightened expectations after a solid 16-8 campaign last year. The Bobcats will be tested early with road trips to Trinity Western and UBC to open the season, before returning for their home opener on Nov. 8 against Saskatchewan.
