U Sports men's volleyball championship explained

Last Season:2023 U Sports Men's Volleyball Championship
Current Season:2024 U Sports Men's Volleyball Championship
Upcoming Season:2025 U Sports Men's Volleyball Championship
Sport:Indoor volleyball
Inaugural:1967
Teams:8
Country:Canada
Champion:Alberta Golden Bears (10th title)
Most Champs:Manitoba Bisons (10)
Winnipeg Wesmen (10)
Alberta Golden Bears (10)
Organizer:U Sports

The U Sports Men's Volleyball Championship is a Canadian university volleyball tournament conducted by U Sports, and determines the men's national champion. The tournament involves the champions from each of Canada's four regional sports conferences.[1] The Tantramar Trophy is awarded to the winners.[2]

The 2024 champions are the Alberta Golden Bears, who have won ten championships in program history.[3] The Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg Wesmen and Alberta Golden Bears have won the most championships with each school having won ten times.

History

The first championship tournament was held in Calgary, Alberta and featured the UBC Thunderbirds defeating the Mount Allison Mounties 3–0 and the Sherbrooke Vert et Or 3–0 en route to being the first CIAU men's volleyball champions.[2] [4] They were given the Tantramar Trophy, named after the Tantramar Marshes in New Brunswick, which was donated in 1967 by Mount Allison University. While early records are not readily available, the championship has been played as a round-robin tournament at least since 1980.[5] In 1983, six teams played in two pools and then, based on the results, advanced to single-elimination games to determine a winner.[5] In 1985, the current format of full single-elimination games was adopted with eight team competing in the tournament.[5]

Both the 2020 and 2021 championship tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] [7]

Format

The championship currently consists of an eight-team tournament, with champions from each of the three conferences, one host (from Canada West in 2020 and 2021), an additional Canada West team, two additional OUA teams, and one additional team from the RSEQ.[1] While the berths for the conference champions and host remain consistent year-to-year, the other four invitees can change based on the host's conference and the competitive landscape in U Sports. The championship takes place over three days and features 11 games, with teams seeded 1–8. Teams are ranked by a committee as well as by the ELO ranking used to determine weekly Top 10 rankings nationally.[1] Conference champions can be ranked no lower than 6th place. The team ranked 1st plays the 8th ranked team, 2nd plays 7th, 3rd plays 6th, and 4th plays 5th in the quarter-finals. To ensure common rest times, teams are not re-seeded after the first round, so the winner of 1v8 plays the winner of 4v5 and the winner of 2v7 plays the winner of 3v6.[1] There is also a consolation bracket to determine the third-place winner (bronze medalist) and fifth-place winner. The gold medal game is the last game played in the tournament.[1]

Results

Round Robin Format (1967–1982)

YearHost
(City)		width=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffChampionship finalwidth=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffTeams
Championswidth=9%ScoreRunners-up
1967Calgary
(Calgary, AB)		UBC Thunderbirds3–0Sherbrooke Vert et Or4
1968Guelph
(Guelph, ON)		Ottawa Gee-Gees2–0Manitoba Bisons5
1969Mount Allison
(Sackville, NB)		Winnipeg WesmenN/AN/AN/A
1970Calgary
(Calgary, AB)		Montreal CarabinsN/AN/AN/A
1971Laurentian
(Sudbury, ON)		Winnipeg Wesmen3–0Western Ontario MustangsN/A
1972Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Winnipeg Wesmen3–0Montreal CarabinsN/A
1973Laurentian
(Sudbury, ON)		Winnipeg WesmenN/ALaurentian VoyageursN/A
1974Alberta
(Edmonton, AB)		Winnipeg WesmenN/AYork YeomenN/A
1975Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Sherbrooke Vert et Or3–0Alberta Golden BearsN/A
1976 Manitoba/Winnipeg
(Winnipeg, MB)		UBC Thunderbirds3–1Sherbrooke Vert et Or6
1977Waterloo
(Waterloo, ON)		Winnipeg Wesmen3–0UBC Thunderbirds6
1978Moncton
(Moncton, NB)		Manitoba Bisons3–0Calgary DinosaursN/A
1979McMaster
(Hamilton, ON)		Saskatchewan Huskies3–2Manitoba BisonsN/A
1980Saskatchewan
(Saskatoon, SK)		Manitoba Bisons3–1Saskatchewan Huskies6
1981Victoria
(Victoria, BC)		Alberta Golden Bears3–2Manitoba Bisons6
1982Dalhousie
(Halifax, NS)		Calgary Dinosaurs3–1Manitoba Bisons6
[8] [9] [10] [11]

Transition Format (1983–1984)

YearHost
(City)		width=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffGold medal matchwidth=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffBronze medal matchwidth=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffTeams
Gold medalistswidth=9%ScoreSilver medalistsBronze medalistswidth=9%Score4th place
1983British Columbia
(Vancouver, BC)		UBC Thunderbirds3–1Manitoba BisonsLaval Rouge et Or3–1Victoria Vikings6
1984Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Manitoba Bisons3–0UBC ThunderbirdsWaterloo Warriors3–0Dalhousie Tigers6

Single Elimination Format (1985–present)

YearHost
(City)		width=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffGold medal matchwidth=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffBronze medal matchwidth=1% rowspan=44 bgcolor=ffffffTeams
Gold medalistswidth=9%ScoreSilver medalistsBronze medalistswidth=9%Score4th place
1985York
(North York, ON)		Manitoba Bisons3–0Saskatchewan HuskiesToronto Varsity Blues3–0Dalhousie Tigers8
1986Moncton
(Moncton, NB)		Winnipeg Wesmen3–2Manitoba BisonsSaskatchewan Huskies3–1UBC Thunderbirds8
1987Winnipeg
(Winnipeg, MB)		Winnipeg Wesmen3–0Saskatchewan HuskiesManitoba Bisons3–2Calgary Dinosaurs8
1988Guelph
(Guelph, ON)		Saskatchewan Huskies3–1Manitoba BisonsCalgary Dinosaurs3–0Dalhousie Tigers8
1989Calgary
(Calgary, AB)		Calgary Dinosaurs3–0Manitoba BisonsYork Yeomen3–0Waterloo Warriors8
1990Winnipeg
(Winnipeg, MB)		Laval Rouge et Or3–0Manitoba BisonsWaterloo Warriors3–0Saskatchewan Huskies8
1991Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Manitoba Bisons3–0Toronto Varsity BluesWaterloo Warriors3–2Sherbrooke Vert et Or8
1992Winnipeg
(Winnipeg, MB)		Laval Rouge et Or3–0Calgary DinosaursMontreal Carabins3–1Winnipeg Wesmen8
1993Alberta
(Edmonton, AB)		Calgary Dinosaurs3–0Montreal CarabinsWinnipeg Wesmen3–0Manitoba Bisons8
1994Dalhousie
(Halifax, NS)		Laval Rouge et Or3–0Manitoba BisonsDalhousie Tigers3–2Alberta Golden Bears8
1995Laurentian
(Sudbury, ON)		Manitoba Bisons3–2Laval Rouge et OrDalhousie Tigers3–2Alberta Golden Bears8
1996Calgary
(Calgary, AB)		Manitoba Bisons3–1Alberta Golden BearsLaval Rouge et Or3–1Winnipeg Wesmen8
1997Calgary
(Calgary, AB)		Alberta Golden Bears3–0Dalhousie TigersWinnipeg Wesmen3–1Calgary Dinosaurs8
1998Calgary
(Calgary, AB)		Winnipeg Wesmen3–0Saskatchewan HuskiesAlberta Golden Bears3–1Toronto Varsity Blues8
1999Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Saskatchewan Huskies3–0Laval Rouge et OrAlberta Golden Bears3–2Calgary Dinos8
2000Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Manitoba Bisons3–1Saskatchewan HuskiesWinnipeg Wesmen3–0Dalhousie Tigers8
2001Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Manitoba Bisons3–1Laval Rouge et OrCalgary Dinos3–0Saskatchewan Huskies8
2002Alberta
(Edmonton, AB)		Alberta Golden Bears3–2Winnipeg WesmenManitoba Bisons3–0Laval Rouge et Or8
2003Alberta
(Edmonton, AB)		Manitoba Bisons3–0Alberta Golden BearsSaskatchewan Huskies3–2Calgary Dinos8
2004Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Saskatchewan Huskies3–2Alberta Golden BearsTrinity Western Spartans3–1Manitoba Bisons8
2005Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Alberta Golden Bears3–2Trinity Western SpartansManitoba Bisons3–2Saskatchewan Huskies8
2006McMaster
(Hamilton, ON)		Trinity Western Spartans3–0Alberta Golden BearsManitoba Bisons3–1Dalhousie Tigers8
2007McMaster
(Hamilton, ON)		Winnipeg Wesmen3–2Alberta Golden BearsTrinity Western Spartans3–0
UBC Thunderbirds8
2008Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Alberta Golden Bears3–1Winnipeg WesmenTRU WolfPack3–2Dalhousie Tigers8
2009Alberta
(Edmonton, AB)		Alberta Golden Bears3–0Laval Rouge et OrBrandon Bobcats3–1McMaster Marauders8
2010
Details		Thompson Rivers
(Kamloops, BC)		Calgary Dinos3–1Trinity Western SpartansAlberta Golden Bears3–0Laval Rouge et Or8
2011
Details		Trinity Western
(Langley, BC)		Trinity Western Spartans3–0Brandon BobcatsCalgary Dinos3–2Laval Rouge et Or8
2012
Details		Queen's
(Kingston, ON)		Trinity Western Spartans3–1Laval Rouge et OrManitoba Bisons3–1Queen's Gaels8
2013
Details		Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Laval Rouge et Or3–1McMaster MaraudersBrandon Bobcats3–1Western Mustangs8
2014
Details		Calgary
(Calgary, AB)		Alberta Golden Bears3–0Western MustangsMcMaster Marauders3–0Laval Rouge et Or8
2015
Details		Saskatchewan
(Saskatoon, SK)		Alberta Golden Bears3–0Trinity Western SpartansMcMaster Marauders3–0Dalhousie Tigers8
2016
Details		McMaster
(Hamilton, ON)		Trinity Western Spartans3–1McMaster MaraudersAlberta Golden Bears3–0Saskatchewan Huskies8
2017
Details		Alberta
(Edmonton, AB)		Trinity Western Spartans3–1Alberta Golden BearsMcMaster Marauders3–0UBC Thunderbirds8
2018
Details		McMaster
(Hamilton, ON)		UBC Thunderbirds3–0Trinity Western SpartansMcMaster Marauders3–0Alberta Golden Bears8
2019
Details		Laval
(Quebec City, QC)		Trinity Western Spartans3–0Brandon BobcatsLaval Rouge et Or3–1Alberta Golden Bears8
2020
Details		Manitoba
(Winnipeg, MB)		Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemicCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic8
2021
Details		Brandon
(Brandon, MB)		Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemicCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic8
2022
Details		Manitoba
(Winnipeg, MB)		Alberta Golden Bears3–1Trinity Western SpartansSherbrooke Vert et Or3–1Calgary Dinos8
2023
Details		McMaster[12]
(Hamilton, ON)		Trinity Western Spartans3–0Sherbrooke Vert et OrMcMaster Marauders3–0Alberta Golden Bears8
2024
Details		Queen's
(Kingston, ON)		Alberta Golden Bears3–2Sherbrooke Vert et OrUBC Thunderbirds3–1Queen's Gaels8
2025
Details		Brandon
(Brandon, MB)		8
[2] [5] [13]

Results by schools

Due to information limitations, the following table includes all known first, second, and third-place finishes, as indicated above. Prior to 1983, there were no third-place finishes, and the second-place finish was the loser of the championship game. While the Dalhousie Tigers now play in the RSEQ, they had won their medals while playing in the AUS conference, which no longer fields men's volleyball teams.[14]

TeamConference1st2nd3rd
Manitoba BisonsCanada West10 10 5 2003
Alberta Golden BearsCanada West10 7 4 2024
Winnipeg WesmenCanada West10 2 3 2007
Trinity Western SpartansCanada West7 5 2 2023
Laval Rouge et OrRSEQ4 5 3 2013
Saskatchewan HuskiesCanada West4 5 2 2004
Calgary DinosCanada West4 2 3 2010
UBC ThunderbirdsCanada West4 2 1 2018
Sherbrooke Vert et OrRSEQ1 4 1 1975
Montreal CarabinsRSEQ1 2 1 1970
Ottawa Gee-GeesRSEQ1 0 0 1968
McMaster MaraudersOUA0 2 5 None
Brandon BobcatsCanada West0 2 2 None
Western MustangsOUA0 2 0 None
Dalhousie TigersAUS0 1 2 None
York YeomenOUA0 1 1 None
Toronto Varsity BluesOUA0 1 1 None
Waterloo WarriorsOUA0 0 3 None
Laurentian VoyageursOUA0 0 1 None
TRU WolfPackCanada West0 0 1 None

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Playing Regulations: Men's Volleyball. June 25, 2019. U Sports.
  2. Web site: U Sports Volleyball Championship History. January 28, 2020. usports.ca. U Sports.
  3. Web site: Alberta claims U Sports gold in five set thriller . March 17, 2024 . usports.ca . U Sports.
  4. News: UBC Sports Hall of Fame – 1966-1967 UBC Men's Volleyball Team. UBC Thunderbirds. January 28, 2020.
  5. Web site: CIS Championship Results. January 28, 2020. usports.ca. U Sports.
  6. Web site: U Sports men’s volleyball championship cancelled over coronavirus concerns. March 13, 2020. Global News.
  7. Web site: U Sports unable to offer national championships in winter 2021. October 15, 2020. October 15, 2020. usports.ca. U Sports.
  8. Web site: Men's Volleyball Championship Results . . May 14, 2021.
  9. News: 1978 & 1980 University of Manitoba Bisons. Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. January 29, 2020.
  10. News: Winnipeg Wesmen 1970-74 (MVB Team). Canada West Hall of Fame. October 17, 2019. July 26, 2020.
  11. News: Sports Roundup . The Globe and Mail (1936-2017) . torontopubliclibrary.ca . March 3, 1975.
  12. Web site: Calendar – U Sports HQ . . March 19, 2021.
  13. Web site: Saskatchewan Huskies, Men's Volleyball Playoff History. Saskatchewan Huskies. August 6, 2018.
  14. Web site: Men's volleyball Tigers set for RSEQ housewarming party. The Chronicle Herald. November 1, 2018.

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