The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team picked up a 3-0 win over the RMC Paladins in the 2026-27 season opener on Friday (Oct. 30) night at Goldring Centre – Kimel Family Field House.
Set scores were: 25-20, 25-14, 25-18.
The Paladins had an excellent start to the game, gaining a 16-13 lead in the first set. The Blues regrouped, scoring 10 unanswered points to put themselves in the in the driver's seat and take the opening set. Toronto continued to build momentum in the second set with their most convincing win of the evening before a strong third set allowed the Blue and White to complete the sweep. The Blues showcased a strong offensive performance, recording 42 kills to RMC's 19. U of T also posted a .232 hitting percentage and recorded 10 service aces and 49 digs to start the season off on the right foot.
Fourth-year outside hitter Guilia Chimilovski was a force for the Blue and White with a game-high 13 points with 12 kills and eight digs. Fifth-year outside hitter Olivia Zhu contributed 12 points, nine kills, 10 digs and three service aces. Third-year outside hitter Julia Liu added 11 points and 10 kills. Meanwhile, fifth-year middle Thea Ziesmann delivered an impressive performance from the service line with a game-high five aces and added 10 points. Rounding out U of T's offence, second-year setter Louisa Cassidy had 23 assists, and fourth-year libero Delaney Watson anchored the defensive effort with 15 digs.
For the RMC, Trisha-Jane Ramirez was impressive on defence with 11 digs, Sophia Charnet led the team in scoring with eight points and Gia Sandhu had a team-high 16 assists.
The Blues and Paladins face off again on Saturday (Oct. 31) afternoon inside Goldring Centre – Kimel Family Field House. The opening serve is scheduled for 2p.m., with tickets available at
varsityblues.ca/tickets. U of T students receive free entry with a valid T-Card. The game will also be live streamed on oua.tv.
