Varsity Blues Women's Volleyball History
An intercollegiate women’s volleyball league began in a small way in 1947-48 with home-and-home games between the University of Toronto and McMaster University. The two teams tied for the championship title in the inaugural year and Toronto won the championship in 1948-49.
In 1950, volleyball joined the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WIAU), with Toronto, McMaster, Western and OAC (Ontario Agriculture College) forming a four-team league. From 1952-53, following the entry of McGill and Queen’s, a two-day round robin tournament was held annually.
The next two decades saw the forming and re-forming of several leagues and during that time Toronto claimed seven straight provincial titles from 1964-71. Then, in June of 1971, the Ontario Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Association (OWIAA) was formed, with Toronto earning the banner in 1989 and 1996.
In 1997-98, the OWIAA and Ontario University Athletic Association combined to form Ontario University Athletics (OUA). Since then, the Blues have won eight provincial titles, more than any other team in the conference. The OUA named the women’s volleyball championship trophy the Quigley Cup in February, 2018, honouring former McMaster University and Western University Director of Athletics, Therese Quigley.
Nationally, the Canadian Women’s Interuniversity Athletic Union (CWIAU) was formed in 1969 and in 1971, the first women’s volleyball national championship was held at the University of Calgary. The national championship trophy was donated in 1977 by the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The two-wheeled oxcart, which is mounted on the trophy, is a famous symbol of the pioneer era on the Red River, the nucleus of the Province of Manitoba. In 2016, the Varsity Blues completed an undefeated 25-0 season to win their first national championship in program history, marking the first time since 1976 that an Ontario team won the Canadian university crown.
