UBC Seasons: 28
UBC Overall Record: 626-221 (.739)
Canada West Conference Record: 432-128 (.771)
Canada West Playoff Record: 70-33 (.680)
U SPORTS Nationals Record: 54-18 (.750)
- 11 U SPORTS Championships (1993*, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024)
- 8 Canada West Championships (1986*, 1987*, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014)
- 5x Coach of the Year, U SPORTS (1986*, 1993*, 1994*, 2006, 2010)
- 4x Coach of the Year, Canada West (1986*, 2006, 2010, 2024)
*Not at UBC
(last updated March, 2025)
A 10-time U SPORTS national champion with UBC (and 11-time overall U SPORTS national champion), Doug Reimer continues to build on his legacy as the most successful coach in U SPORTS women's volleyball history.
2024-25:
Following another offseason of heavy roster turnover, the T-Birds again put forth a strong campaign in 2024-25. Despite dealing with a slew of injuries that left the team shorthanded for the majority of the regular season, the Thunderbirds entered the Canada West playoffs as the fourth seed with a 15-5 record. After sweeping Thompson Rivers in the quarterfinal round, the T-Birds advanced to the Canada West Final Four where they defeated Saskatchewan 3-0 and lost 3-2 to Alberta to earn a conference silver medal for the second straight season. Heading into nationals as the No. 2 overall seed, UBC defeated the Huskies once again in the opening round before falling to hosts Manitoba in a thrilling four-set heavyweight bout. That set up a rematch with Alberta for bronze, where the Pandas again prevailed, this time 3-1.
After losing six starters from their national championship-winning team the previous season, Reimer’s T-Birds could have been forgiven if they took a step backwards in 2023-24. Instead, they were even better, cruising through the Canada West season with a 22-2 record, their best in over a decade. The Thunderbirds made it through the Canada West quarterfinals and semifinals without dropping a single set in either, although they were then upset in a 3-2 thriller by the Manitoba Bisons in the conference championship game. Reimer was named Canada West coach of the year for the third time at UBC, and first time since 2010. The T-Birds travelled to the U SPORTS National Championships in Hamilton as the #2 overall seed, and defeated hosts McMaster in the quarterfinals, Acadia in the semifinals and then rivals Alberta in the final to win their second straight national title, and 10
th under Reimer.
Expectations were high for the 'Birds in 2022-23, knowing that they were going to be hosting the 2023 U SPORTS Women's Volleyball National Championships in March. Reimer's veteran squad battled injuries and parity in a very strong Canada West Conference, finishing third in the regular season with an 18-6 record. In Round 1 of the Canada West playoffs, UBC drew a young Manitoba Bisons squad who came to UBC and secured back-to-back victories in the quarterfinals, leaving Doug Reimer and his team with nearly a full month to prepare for the high stakes nationals. Entering the event as the #7 seed, UBC secured an opening round victory against Brock in front of a rabid crowd. 24 hours later, UBC earned a measure of revenge against the Manitoba Bisons, defeating them in the semifinals which set the stage for a classic rivalry showdown with Trinity Western University in the championship match. It took five sets and several twists and turns, but UBC prevailed, giving the program the rare distinction of being able to capture a national championship victory at their home gym.
In 2021-22, Reimer led his team through a year full of adversity as sport returned, finishing with an overall record of 16-10, and a conference record of 9-7. The 'Birds powered through the first two rounds of Canada West Playoffs by winning five straight games, taking down Winnipeg (3-1), Regina (3-0), Alberta (3-1), Calgary (3-0), and Mount Royal (3-2). The extended playoff run earned them a spot in the CW Final Four, where their run came to an end as they were defeated by Trinity Western in the semi-final, and then Mount Royal in the Bronze medal game.
The 2018-19 championship added to the count came in unprecedented fashion. Led by U SPORTS and Canada West Player of the Year Kiera Van Ryk, the T-Birds became the first No. 8 seed to win the national title. UBC beat top-seeded Trinity Western in the quarter-final before triumphing over No. 4 Dalhousie. Against the sixth-seeded defending national champion Ryerson in the final, the T-Birds dropped the opening two sets before storming back to win the next three. To cap the season off, Van Ryk was the women’s winner at the inaugural Lieutenant Governor Athletic Awards Presented by Makadiff Sports, recognition as the U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Year for the 2018-19 season.
In 2017-18, the Thunderbirds won bronze at the national tournament. Van Ryk became the first UBC rookie to win Canada West and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year honours.
Reimer’s 20th campaign with the T-Birds (2016-17) ended with his seventh national title at UBC, after a four-set triumph over Alberta in the U SPORTS final in Toronto.
Reimer’s T-Birds made history in 2012-13. They swept Alberta in Sherbrooke, Que., in the U SPORTS final, becoming just the third program to win six straight. In the spring of 2013, Shanice Marcelle was named a BLG Awards winner as the top female university athlete in Canada.
In 2011-12, the Thunderbirds needed five sets to finish off Alberta in the national title game to extend their championship streak to five.
The T-Birds made it four national titles in a row in 2010-11, a season that saw the team win the league championship as well.
Reimer was named the 2010 U SPORTS and Canada West Coach of the Year. He was also recognized as the Sport BC Coach of the Year while the T-Birds were named Team of the Year at the 45th annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards. In 2017, the squad was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. He was not the only T-Bird recognized at the national level in 2010 as Liz Cordonier was named the U SPORTS MVP, before going on to claim the BLG Award as the U SPORTS Athlete of the Year.
The 2009-10 season could very well be the finest in U SPORTS women’s volleyball history as Reimer led UBC to a perfect 25-0 record, the No. 1 ranking for the entire campaign, their second straight Canada West championship, and third straight national title. Dating back to midway through the 2008-09 campaign, the T-Birds won 40 straight conference and playoff games.
In 2007-08, Reimer guided his T-Birds to the program’s first national title in exactly 30 years with a 3-2 comeback victory over Montreal in the gold-medal final. That began a U SPORTS record-tying streak of six championships in a row for UBC, which is the most successful program in U SPORTS women’s volleyball with a dozen total national banners. In 2008-09, the T-Birds closed their season on a 15-match unbeaten streak and triumphed in the title game with a 3-2 victory over Calgary.
Reimer was a two-time All-Canadian setter during his playing days with Victoria, and was honoured with the school's top student-athlete award. He was UVic’s head coach from 1985-87, going 28-2 in 30 conference matches. He then went on to coach Saskatchewan’s Canada Games team to a gold medal before leading Winnipeg to a U SPORTS title in 1992-93.
Reimer came to UBC for the 1994-95 season after his back-to-back coach of the year seasons at Winnipeg. He coached for three seasons at UBC – left to become the full-time head coach of Team Canada – and returned to campus for the 2000-01 campaign. His major accomplishments with Team Canada included a second-place finish at the NORCECA Olympic qualifier for Sydney and a fifth-place finish at the 1997 Summer Universiade in Sicily.
Individually, Reimer has been named the U SPORTS Coach of the Year five times, the most of any women’s volleyball head coach in Canada. He earned the prestigious honour twice with UBC in 2006 and 2010, once while at his alma mater Victoria (1986), and back-to-back with Winnipeg (1993, ‘94).
