CIS women’s volleyball: UBC seeded No. 1 for 2010 national championship

OTTAWA (CIS) – The two-time defending gold medallist University of British Columbia Thunderbirds have been established favourite to three-peat as CIS women’s volleyball champions following their triumph in the Canada West final on Saturday night.

Championship website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball  

The seedings were announced Sunday for the 2010 CIS championship that will get under way on Friday, March 5 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The gold-medal final of the eight-team tournament, hosted by the UofA for the first time since 1999, is set for Sunday, March 7 at 6 p.m. Mountain Time.

All 11 matches from the competition including main-bracket and consolation duels will be webcast live by SSN Canada.

The Thunderbirds are ranked No. 1 going into the national tourney for the first time since 2006, when they ended up losing a four-set decision to No. 2 Laval in the title game. UBC claimed CIS gold as the No. 4 seed in 2008 and as the No. 2 seed a year ago, both times in Fredericton.

The T-Birds, who went 20-0 in conference play this season before adding two wins in two outings at the Canada West Final Four, hope to capture three straight CIS banners for the first time in program history. UBC has won six titles since the first national championship was held in 1970, claiming back-to-back gold in 1973 and 1974, 1977 and 1978, as well as 2008 and 2009.

Rounding out the seedings for this week’s tournament are the No. 2 and QSSF champion Montreal Carabins (20-0 season / 2-0 playoffs), No. 3 and Canada West finalist Manitoba Bisons (15-5 / 3-1), No. 4 and Canada West bronze medallist Regina Cougars (13-7 / 3-1), No. 5 and QSSF finalist Laval Rouge et Or (13-7 / 2-2), No. 6 and OUA champion Toronto Varsity Blues (14-5 / 3-0), No. 7 and championship host Alberta Pandas (12-8 / 0-2), as well as the No. 8 and AUS champion Saint Mary’s Huskies (11-7 / 2-0).

UBC begins its title defence against Saint Mary’s Friday at 1 p.m. Mountain Time in the tourney opener.

Friday’s other quarter-final duels pit Regina against Laval at 2:30 p.m., Manitoba against Toronto at 6:30 p.m., and Montreal against Alberta at 8 p.m.

The CIS all-Canadians and major award winners will be unveiled at a banquet on Thursday evening.

Note: A complete championship preview will follow on Tuesday.

NOTES: Winnipeg (1983 to 1988) and Alberta (1995 to 2000) share the all-time record of six consecutive CIS crowns… Alberta’s run included four triumphs in its own gym (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000)… Saskatchewan (1979 to 1981) and Manitoba (1990 to 1992) also three-peated as CIS gold medallists… Webcasts available through the official championship website at http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball  and on the SSN Canada website at www.ssncanada.ca .

SEEDINGS

1. UBC Thunderbirds (CWUAA champions / 20-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
2. Montreal Carabins (QSSF champions / 20-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
3. Manitoba Bisons (CWUAA finalists / 15-5 regular season, 3-1 playoffs)
4. Regina Cougars (CWUAA bronze medallists / 13-7 regular season, 3-1 playoffs)
5. Laval Rouge et Or (QSSF finalists / 13-7 regular season, 2-2 playoffs)
6. Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA champions / 14-5 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
7. Alberta Pandas (Hosts / 12-8 regular season, 0-2 playoffs)
8. Saint Mary’s Huskies (AUS champions / 11-7 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Mountain Time)

Thursday, March 4

15:00 Media Conference (W1-17, Van Vliet Centre, University of Alberta)
18:00 All-Canadian Banquet (Maple Leaf Room - Lister Centre)

Friday, March 5

13:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 1 UBC vs. No. 8 Saint Mary’s (SSN Canada webcast)
14:30 Quarter-final #2: No. 4 Regina vs. No. 5 Laval (SSN Canada webcast)
18:30 Quarter-final #3: No. 3 Manitoba vs. No. 6 Toronto (SSN Canada webcast)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: No. 2 Montreal vs. No. 7 Alberta (SSN Canada webcast)

Saturday, March 6

13:00 Consolation #1: Loser quarter-final #1 vs. Loser quarter-final #2 (SSN Canada webcast)
14:30 Consolation #2: Loser quarter-final #3 vs. Loser quarter-final #4 (SSN Canada webcast)
18:30 Semi-final #1: Winner quarter-final #1 vs. Winner quarter-final #2 (SSN Canada webcast)
20:00 Semi-final #2: Winner quarter-final #3 vs. Winner quarter-final #4 (SSN Canada webcast)

Sunday, March 7

12:00 5th place (SSN Canada webcast)
15:00 Bronze medal (SSN Canada webcast)
18:00 Championship final (SSN Canada webcast)


-CIS-