For the first time in six years, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team has finished atop the OUA standings and will now host an OUA quarter-final against the Ryerson Rams on Saturday, February 15, at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
 
Game time for the quarter-final is set for 1 p.m. Advanced tickets are on sale here. The game will also be streamed live on GoBlues.tv.
 
Toronto (15-4) clinched first place after a five-set win over the RMC Paladins on Saturday, allowing them to fend off close contenders York and Ottawa for the top spot.
 
The Rams (14-5) completed their regular season with two wins over the Paladins and the Queen's Gaels, putting them in a tie-breaker for second place with the Lions and Gee-Gees.
 
The game will be a rematch of last year's bronze-medal match, which saw U of T top the Rams 3-0.
 
Heading the Varsity Blues success this season is fourth-year left-side hitter Charlotte Sider. The Ottawa native finished the season third in the OUA, averaging 3.21 kills per set. Sider will go up against Ryerson off-side hitter Veronica Livingston, who has posted 3.11 kills per set in her second season with the Rams.
 
Fellow veterans Jennifer Neilson (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) and Sarah Chapin (Georgetown, Ont.) have also shined this season. Neilson notched a career high 141 kills and put up 21 blocks while Chapin tallied  86 kills, 15 serving aces and 18 blocks.
 
Fifth-year setter Malena Rapaport (Vancouver, B.C.) has led Toronto in assists recording 309 in 39 games. Rapaport has added seven serving aces and 109 digs in her final season with the Blues.
 
U of T's rookies were not to be outdone, proving to be crucial cogs in the Blues lineup.  Tessa Davis (South Surrey, B.C.) finished the season ranked first in the OUA with 53 blocks and third on the team with 139 kills. Fellow first-year standout Kate Lonergan (North Vancouver, B.C.) also ranks first in the OUA and third in the CIS, averaging 4.49 digs per set.
 
If the Blues secure a win over the Rams, they will host the OUA Final Four, February 22-23, at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
 
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