University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball alumna Heather Bansley, along with partner Brandie Wilkerson, have punched their ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
 
The duo earned their spot by finishing eighth in the FIVB beach volleyball Olympic rankings.

"I feel incredibly grateful and honoured to share this dream with [Brandie], and help each other realize our Olympic goals," said Bansley in an Instagram post on Tuesday. "We started this qualification back in November of 2018, and while we were always in a comfortable position to qualify, now that the qualification is officially over, it feels important to take a moment and recognize this milestone."
 
Bansley and Wilkerson placed fifth overall at the 2017 FIVB beach volleyball championships in Vienna. The three-time FIVB defensive player of the year advanced to the quarter-final round of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, matching Canada's best ever Olympic result in women's beach volleyball with a fifth-place finish.

"I'm thrilled Heather will be competing in her second Olympics," said Varsity Blues head coach Kristine Drakich. "This pandemic has made the qualification for Tokyo extremely challenging and I think it really reveals her perseverance, work ethic and commitment to learning and growing.  Heather loves the game and loves to compete and I'm excited to watch her soar in Tokyo!"
 
Bansley, a two-time all-Canadian during her time at U of T, completed her fifth and final year of eligibility with the Blues in 2009-10. The English and linguistics graduate ranked first on the OUA leader board in points, kills and serving aces per set and also led the Blues to the provincial title and berth to the U SPORTS national championship that season.
 
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