March 2, 2010

PREVIEW: 2010 CIS women’s volleyball championship: No. 1 UBC looking for 3-peat

EDMONTON (CIS) – The top-seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds travel to Edmonton this week looking to complete an unblemished season against CIS competition and hoping to become the fifth team in history to three-peat as CIS women’s volleyball champion.

Championship web site: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball

The eight-team, single-elimination national championship, hosted by the University of Alberta for the first time since 1999, gets under way Friday with the quarter-final round and concludes Sunday at 6 p.m. Mountain Time with the gold-medal final.

All 11 matches from the main and consolation draws will be webcast live by SSN Canada.

Also competing for CIS supremacy this week will be the No. 2 and QSSF champion Montreal Carabins (20-0 season / 2-0 playoffs), No. 3 and Canada West finalist Manitoba Bisons (15-5 / 3-1), No. 4 and Canada West bronze medallist Regina Cougars (13-7 / 3-1), No. 5 and QSSF finalist Laval Rouge et Or (13-7 / 2-2), No. 6 and OUA champion Toronto Varsity Blues (14-5 / 3-0), No. 7 and championship host Alberta Pandas (12-8 / 0-2), as well as the No. 8 and AUS champion Saint Mary’s Huskies (11-7 / 2-0).

UBC begins its title defence against Saint Mary’s Friday at 1 p.m. Mountain Time in the tournament opener.

The other quarter-final duels pit Regina against Laval at 2:30 p.m., Manitoba against Toronto at 6:30 p.m., and Montreal against Alberta at 8 p.m.

The top-ranked Thunderbirds are enjoying one of the best seasons in club history. They enter the Nationals boasting a 24-0 overall record versus CIS rivals including a pair of non-conference wins, a 20-0 mark in conference play, a four-set victory over Regina in the Canada West semifinals and a thrilling 3-2 win over Manitoba in the conference final.

The T-Birds hope to capture three straight CIS banners for the first time. They have captured six titles since the inaugural national championship in 1970 – one shy of the all-time record - claiming back-to-back gold in 1973 and 1974, 1977 and 1978, as well as 2008 and 2009.

Making their 15th appearance in 16 years at the CIS tourney, the ‘Birds also hope to resume Canada West’s domination in the sport. Teams currently competing in the CWUAA have won 24 of the last 27 CIS titles, with Quebec schools claiming the three other banners in 2003, 2005 and 2006.

The status of pre-tournament favourite has not historically been a good luck charm however for UBC, which claimed CIS gold as the No. 4 seed in 2008 and as the No. 2 seed a year ago, both times in Fredericton. The last two times the Thunderbirds were seeded No. 1, in 2006 in Calgary and in 1999 in Edmonton, they ended up losing four-set gold-medal decisions to Laval and Alberta, respectively.

The 2009-2010 edition of the Thunderbirds is led by Canada West MVP Liz Cordonier. A second-team all-Canadian two years ago, the fifth-year outside hitter from Vancouver was third in the CWUAA this season with 3.37 kills per set.

“We are excited to get the opportunity to defend the CIS title. The Final Four was a good snapshot of how close and tough it is to qualify out of the Canada West, with three of the four matches going the distance,” said Canada West coach of the year Doug Reimer. “We expect to face the same sort of competition this weekend with so many good teams in Edmonton. We hope to be able to carry the momentum we built last weekend for what will be the biggest challenge of the season.”

Leading the pack of challengers in Edmonton are the No. 2 Montreal Carabins, who enjoyed an equally impressive season in Quebec and who feel they’ve waited long enough for that elusive first CIS banner.

The Carabins tied UBC for the best conference record in the nation this year at 20-0, swept Laval in the best-of-three QSSF final, and enter the CIS championship with a stellar 31-2 overall mark versus CIS opponents. Their only setbacks came in non-conference action against Manitoba (3-1) on Oct. 16 and Trinity Western (3-0) on Jan. 2, but they avenged the loss to Manitoba two days later edging the Bisons in five-sets in the final of the McGill Invitational.

The three-time reigning QSSF champions will be making their fifth straight appearance at the CIS tournament and have been top contenders for a number of years, reaching at least the semifinal round three of the past four seasons. They were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion two years running however, losing in five sets to Calgary in the 2009 semifinals and to UBC in the 2008 championship match, both times after leading two sets to one.

The Carabins face a tricky first-round match-up on Friday night as they’ll have to deal with the raucous U of A home crowd when they take on Alberta. Montreal beat the Pandas 3-1 in non-conference action back on Sept. 15.

“It will definitely be a very competitive tournament. Based on our experience from the past few years, the main competition should come from Canada West teams, but other programs are on the rise so it will be important to get off to a good start,” said Montreal head coach Olivier Trudel, who was named QSSF coach of the year last week.

“We have a very experienced group and our expectations are obviously very high,” added Trudel, whose squad is led by a trio of fifth-year seniors including two-time CIS player of the year Laetitia Tchoualack.

The rest of the field is comprised of three of the most successful CIS women’s volleyball programs in history, as well as a trio of teams looking for a breakthrough performance on the national scene.

Alberta is tied with Winnipeg for most CIS women’s volleyball banners (7) and most consecutive titles (6). When it comes to home-court advantage, the No. 7 Pandas are in a class of their own, having triumphed the last four times the championship was held in Edmonton (1999, 1998, 1997, 1995), part of their record-tying run of six straight titles from 1995 to 2000.

“It’s a great honour to host the CIS championship and the seven quality teams who will be battling it out for the national title next weekend,” said Alberta head coach Laurie Eisler. “We look forward to the opportunity as a team to put it on the line as we’ve been preparing for this challenge all season.”

Manitoba returns to the Nationals for the first time since 2007 and for only the second time since claiming back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. The No. 3 Bisons have been crowned CIS champions six times including a three-peat from 1990 to 1992.

While Laval hasn’t claimed as many gold medals as Alberta, Manitoba and UBC over the years, the perennial Quebec powerhouse is a fixture at the CIS tournament. The No. 5 Rouge et Or, who claimed their lone title in 2006, are making their 29th championship appearance in 31 seasons.

Regina advances to the CIS tourney for only the third time in school history and for the first time since a seventh-place showing in 2000. The No. 4 Cougars made it to the Final Four in their first championship appearance back in 1990 when they defeated Laval – their opponent in Friday’s opening round – 3-0 in the quarter-finals en route to a fourth-place finish.

Toronto hopes to become the first OUA team since the 2001 Varsity Blues and only the second Ontario side since 1992 to advance past the first round at the CIS tournament. Three-time champion Western Ontario remains the only OUA program to claim the CIS title (1976, 1975, 1972).

Saint Mary’s faces a similar challenge this week as teams from the Atlantic conference have not fared much better over the years at the CIS championship. AUS representatives have captured only one title in history (Dalhousie in 1982), have not won a first-round duel since 1984 (Dalhousie) and have not won any matches since Moncton defeated Toronto in consolation action in 2002.

NOTES: Saskatchewan (1979 to 1981) also three-peated as CIS champion… Webcasts of all matches from the 2010 CIS championship are available through the official championship website at http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wvball and on the SSN Canada website at www.ssncanada.ca .

TEAM INFO

No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds
Media Guide (PDF)
Head coach: Doug Reimer (13th season)
Regular season record: 20-0
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): No. 1 (all 13 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 13
Conference award winners: Liz Cordonier (MVP), Claire Hanna (libero), Doug Reimer (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Liz Cordonier, Jen Hinze, Kyla Richey
Conference 2nd team all-stars: None
CIS championship best result: 6-time champions (2009, 2008, 1978, 1977, 1974, 1973)
CIS championship last appearance: 2009 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: 15th appearance in 16 years (missed 2007)

No. 2 Montreal Carabins
Media Guide (PDF)

Head coach: Olivier Trudel (6th season)
Regular season record: 20-0
Regular season standing: 1st QSSF
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: QSSF champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): No. 2 (11 weeks / 2 weeks at No. 3)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 13
Conference award winners: Alexandra Lojen (MVP), Nadine Alphonse (student-athlete), Olivier Trudel (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Alexandra Lojen, Nadine Alphonse, Laetitia Tchoualack
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Marie-Pier Murray Méthot
CIS championship best result: Finalists (2008)
CIS championship last appearance: 2009 (bronze)
CIS championship sequence: 5th straight appearance (6th in 7 years)

No. 3 Manitoba Bisons
Media Guide (PDF)
Head coach: Ken Bentley (24th season)
Regular season record: 15-5
Regular season standing: 2nd Canada West
Playoff record: 3-1
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): No. 3
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): No. 2 (3 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 13
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Ashley Voth
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Samantha Loewen
CIS championship best result: 6-time champions (2002, 2001, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1971)
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (tied for 7th place)
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance since 2007

No. 4 Regina Cougars
Media Guide (PDF)

Head coach: Melanie Sanford (8th season)
Regular season record: 13-7
Regular season standing: 4th Canada West
Playoff record: 3-1
Playoff finish: Canada West bronze medallists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): No. 5
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): No. 4 (4 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 13
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Beth Clark
Conference 2nd team all-stars: None
CIS championship best result: 4th place (1990)
CIS championship last appearance: 2000 (tied for 7th place)
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance since 2000

No. 5 Laval Rouge et Or
Media Guide (PDF)

Head coach: Alain Pelletier (3rd season)
Regular season record: 13-7
Regular season standing: 3rd QSSF
Playoff record: 2-2
Playoff finish: QSSF finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): No. 9
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): No. 4 (1 week)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 13
Conference award winners: Ève Trépanier (rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Mélanie Savoie
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Ève Trépanier, Sarah Létourneau-Lévesque
CIS championship best result: 1-time champions (2006)
CIS championship last appearance: 2009 (4th place)
CIS championship sequence: 29th appearance in 31 years (missed 2008, 1991)

No. 6 Toronto Varsity Blues
Media Guide (PDF)

Head coach: Kristine Drakich (21st season)
Regular season record: 14-5
Regular season standing: 1st OUA East (tied for 2nd overall OUA)
Playoff record: 3-0
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): Unranked
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): Unranked all season
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 0
Conference award winners (OUA East): Michelle Wood (libero), Lauren Willoughby (student-athlete)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA East): Heather Bansley, Kristina Valjas
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA East): Karlee Diesing
CIS championship best result: 4th place (2001)
CIS championship last appearance: 2004 (5th place)
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance since 2004

No. 7 Alberta Pandas
Media Guide (PDF)

Head coach: Laurie Eisler (18th season)
Regular season record: 12-8
Regular season standing: 6th Canada West
Playoff record: 0-2
Playoff finish: Lost in Canada West quarter-finals
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): No. 7
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): No. 3 (1 week)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 13
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: None
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Tiffany Proudfoot
CIS championship best result: 7-time champions (2007, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (4th place)
CIS championship sequence: 7th appearance in 8 years (missed 2009)

No. 8 Saint Mary's Huskies
Media Guide (PDF)

Head coach: Darren Russell (1st season)
Regular season record: 11-7
Regular season standing: 2nd AUS
Playoff record: 2-0
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 16): Unranked
Best Top 10 ranking (13 weeks): Unranked all season
Number of weeks in Top 10 (13 weeks): 0
Conference award winners: None
Conference 1st team all-stars: Kerri Smit, Alison Beaver
Conference 2nd team all-stars: None
CIS championship best result: Tied for 7th place (2008, 2007, 2006, 2004)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (tied for 7th place)
CIS championship sequence: 4th appearance in 5 years (missed 2009)

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Mountain Time)

Thursday, March 4

15:00 Media Conference (W1-17, Van Vliet Centre, University of Alberta)
18:00 All-Canadian Banquet (Maple Leaf Room - Lister Centre)

Friday, March 5

13:00 Quarter-final #1: No. 1 UBC vs. No. 8 Saint Mary’s (SSN Canada webcast)
14:30 Quarter-final #2: No. 4 Regina vs. No. 5 Laval (SSN Canada webcast)
18:30 Quarter-final #3: No. 3 Manitoba vs. No. 6 Toronto (SSN Canada webcast)
20:00 Quarter-final #4: No. 2 Montreal vs. No. 7 Alberta (SSN Canada webcast)

Saturday, March 6

13:00 Consolation #1: Loser quarter-final #1 vs. Loser quarter-final #2 (SSN Canada webcast)
14:30 Consolation #2: Loser quarter-final #3 vs. Loser quarter-final #4 (SSN Canada webcast)
18:30 Semi-final #1: Winner quarter-final #1 vs. Winner quarter-final #2 (SSN Canada webcast)
20:00 Semi-final #2: Winner quarter-final #3 vs. Winner quarter-final #4 (SSN Canada webcast)

Sunday, March 7

12:00 5th place (SSN Canada webcast)
15:00 Bronze medal (SSN Canada webcast)
18:00 Championship final (SSN Canada webcast)

-CIS-