It was never going to be easy for the No.5-seed UBC Thunderbirds to take home the 15
th U SPORTS championship in program history, and fifth in a decade, but the powers that be have made sure that if the 'Birds win again in 2026, they will have done it the hard way. UBC starts its nationals run with a battle against No.4-seed and host Trinity Western at 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday at the Langley Events Centre.
The T-Birds were slotted in as the fifth seed after earning Canada West Bronze at the Final Four in Alberta last weekend. Little did they know, losing that bronze medal match would have yielded a far easier draw at the national championship.
The Thunderbirds will immediately be in tough against conference finalist, host, and longtime archrival Trinity Western in the first round. The two programs have won five of the last nine national championships, and 11 of the last 16. The reward for whoever emerges from that brutal first round battle? A likely matchup with Canada West Champion and No.1-seed Alberta, with the top three teams in what is clearly the best volleyball conference in the country all somehow ending up on the same side of the draw.
"I think both teams have respect for the other program," mused UBC head coach
Doug Reimer, on facing the Spartans in the opener.
"The reality is that we don't want to play each other in the first round. Having said that, this is the draw, we had the opportunity, if we had beaten Trinity in the conference semifinal, to avoid this draw. No matter what, Friday will be a very intense and exciting environment, and that's what athletes should want to be a part of."
Having a second go around with the best in the west is nothing new for the blue and gold. All three of their games at last year's U SPORTS Championship were against Canada West opponents and their last two national championship wins came against teams from within the conference as well; hardly surprising as a Canada West school has won all but two national titles in the last 20 years.
Yet, the top three Canada West teams were placed on an early collision course this time around, while the fourth-place CW team, No.7-seed Thompson Rivers, will avoid its familiar foes until the last. The lone wolf(pack) from the west in their half of the bracket, TRU is left to lick its wounds from the Final Four and prey on teams from lesser conferences until a potential rematch with a western superpower on the final day of the tournament.
"You get the chance to play in this event and you have to be grateful more than anything," said Reimer, who is seeking his 12
th national championship, and 11
th with UBC. "You can choose to stew about the draw and get upset for three days. But we'd rather move on and get excited about playing, even if you've got two thousand people cheering against you."
The T-Birds and Spartans have squared off three times this season, with UBC sweeping the regular season series (3-1, 3-2) before Trinity Western got its revenge in a thrilling 3-2 victory in the conference semifinal. The Spartans would go on to lose the championship game 3-1 to Alberta, while the 'Birds bounced back to defeat the TRU WolfPack 3-1 for Bronze.
The fact that each team won a set in all four matches at the conference championship tournament illustrates the parody, and razor thin margins, between the top schools in Canada West.
"The matches never go the way that you expect," noted Reimer. "Matches that are this close often rest on one to two plays that don't make a stat sheet, a highlight reel, or even a gameplan, and that's why you play it out. That was the case against the Spartans last weekend."
Further illustrating the point, Trinity Western has both defeated, and been defeated by, each of the other three Canada West teams at the U SPORTS Championship this season. All of which sets up a wide open battle for national supremacy, with all four teams from country's dominant women's volleyball conference rightfully claiming status as serious U SPORTS title contender.
"I think that all four Canada West teams showed a really high level play that created runs of points in certain sets in all four matches," reflected Reimer. "I think the teams that therefore play free and assertively keep those runs going. On the flip side, the composure and execution at key times to limit runs may be a key factor."
Win or lose, the T-Birds will play again their second game of the tournament on Saturday at the Langley Events Centre, either in the championship semifinal at 6:00 p.m. (PT) or in a consolation semifinal at 2:00 p.m. (PT). On Sunday, the consolation final is scheduled for noon, the Bronze Medal match at 2:00 p.m. and the U SPORTS Championship match at 6:00 p.m.
For those wanting to support the 'Birds in person, tickets for the U SPORTS Championship are
available here.
Stream the games from home on
CBC Gem,
cbcsports.ca, the
CBC Sports Youtube Channel or in French, on
ICI Tou.TV.
