The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball won their first-ever national title, defeating the defending champion Trinity Western Spartans 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-12) in the gold-medal match of the CIS championship on Sunday evening in Brandon, Manitoba.
The Blues finish the 2015-16 season with a perfect 25-0 record, including a 19-0 regular season standing that saw them drop a mere three sets. U of T went 3-0 in conference playoffs to claim their second straight OUA title and this weekend became the 12th CIS school since 1971, and the first OUA team since 1976, to earn the national banner.
They also become the third Varsity Blues team to complete a perfect season in recent history (women's hockey, 2000-01 & women's basketball, 1985-86) and help the U of T athletics program match a program-best four national titles in one season (1965-66, 1985-86, 1991-92).
Fourth-year left side hitter Caleigh Cruickshank notched 8.5 points and five digs and was named the CIS championship MVP for her stellar performance at the three-day tournament. Cruickshank totalled 47 points on 40 kills, four aces and three blocks, while adding 28 digs in three matches.
"This is the best feeling in the world," said Cruickshank. "I'm over the moon. It still hasn't even 100 percent sunk in yet. It feels like a dream."
CIS rookie of the year Alina Dormann led the Blues with 17 points on 10 kills, five aces and two blocks in the victory.
"It was a huge win. It's just so exciting to be able to represent our province," said Dormann. "We worked so hard all this year so it's just really exciting to be able to represent our program at the U of T and also the OUA."
Third-year middle Tessa Davis capped off an outstanding tournament with 12 points on seven kills, three aces and two blocks and was named a CIS tournament all-star, while sophomore leftside hitter Anna Feore had nine kills and eight digs on the night.
Fourth-year setter Madelyn Mandryk tallied 32 assists and 4.5 digs with fifth-year libero Denise Wooding notching seven digs and earning player of the match and tournament all-star honours in her final game as a Varsity Blue.
"I have to give credit to the athletes," said Varsity Blues head coach Kristine Drakich. "They were very gutsy, very focused, very clear. They believed in what they wanted to accomplish, a national championship."
Trinity Western got out to a 6-3 lead but the Blues stood tall and an ace from Dormann evened the set at 7-7. Davis came up with a big kill and an ace on the ensuing plays to even it again at 11-11 and the Blues held a narrow 16-14 lead at the technical timeout. Feore got in on the action as the Blues went on a 5-2 run and a final kill from Cruickshank sealed the first-set Varsity Blues win, 25-21.
U of T carried that momentum into the second set, getting out to a 5-0 lead. The Blues kept rolling and a couple of points from Mandryk built a 16-7 Toronto advantage at the technical timeout. Dormann came out of the break with back-to-back aces and despite a comeback effort from the Spartans, Davis sealed the second, 25-18.
Some strong serving from Davis led the Blues to another early 4-0 lead in the third set and Toronto remained solid as a Bojana Radan kill gave them a commanding 16-7 lead at the break. U of T sealed the match with a 9-5 run, capped off by a Dormann ace, 25-12.
STAT LEADERS Complete Stats: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball/2016/championship TorontoKills: Alina Dormann (10), Anna Feore (9)
Points: Alina Dormann (17) Tessa Davis (12)
Blocks: Madelyn Mandryk, Bojana Radan (0,5)
Digs: Anna Feore (8)
Service aces: Alina Dormann (5)
Player of the match: Denise Wooding
Trinity Western
Kills: Elizabeth Wendel (13), Sophie Carpentier (8)
Points: Elizabeth Wendel (14.5), Sophie Carpentier (8.5)
Blocks: Katelyn Devaney (2)
Digs: Brie O'Reilly (8)
Service aces: Elizabeth Wendel (1)
Player of the match: Katelyn Devaney
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (CENTRAL TIME) Friday, March 11
12:30 Quarter-final #1: Toronto 3, McGill 2 (18-25, 25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 15-13)
14:30 Quarter-final #2: UBC Okanagan 3, Dalhousie 0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-15)
18:00 Quarter-final #3: Trinity Western 3, Brandon 1 (25-23, 25-15, 23-25, 25-19)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: UBC 3, Montreal 1 (20-25, 25-20, 28-26, 25-20)
Saturday, March 12
12:30 Consolation #1: Dalhousie 3, McGill 1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12)
14:30 Consolation #2: Montreal 3, Brandon 0 (25-15, 28-26, 25-20)
18:00 Semifinal #1: Toronto 3, UBC Okanagan 1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-21)
20:00 Semifinal #2: Trinity Western 3, UBC 1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-19)
Sunday, March 13
13:00 5
th place: Montreal 3, Dalhousie 0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-19)
15:00 Bronze medal: UBC Okanagan 3, UBC 0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-19)
18:00 Championship final: Toronto 3, Trinity Western 0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-12)
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, over 12,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 56 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit
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Matt PackwoodBrandon University
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C: 204-570-0842
E:
packwoodm@brandonu.ca Michel Bélanger Communications & Media Relations
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
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E:
belanger@universitysport.ca
