The York Lions women’s volleyball team will welcome the top squads from around the province this weekend (Feb. 20-21) as it hosts the 2009 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Women’s Volleyball Championship at Tait McKenzie Centre on York’s Keele campus. The Lions are the top seed at the event and are looking to win their first women’s volleyball provincial title in 12 years.
Right: The York Lions women’s volleyball team
The two-day event will see four teams battle on the court for provincial supremacy and a berth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Women’s Volleyball Championship, which will be held the following weekend (Feb. 26-28) in Fredericton, NB. Joining the Lions this weekend are the McMaster University Marauders, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and the University of Western Ontario Mustangs, who each qualified for the OUA Championship with wins in their respective quarter-final contests.
York earned the right to host this weekend’s championship with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Queen’s University Gaels last weekend in the quarter-final round. Coming into the contest, the Lions were seeded No. 1 in the OUA East Division after posting a sparkling 18-1 regular season record, while the Gaels were the fourth seeds with a 10-9 record. Queen’s did not back down against their formidable foes, however, and hung on until the last point as the Lions managed to squeak out a 21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 20-25, 17-15 victory in a two-and-a-half hour marathon.
The Lions’ semifinal opponent this weekend is the Western Mustangs, who finished the regular season at 15-4 and in second place in the OUA West Division. The Mustangs defeated the Brock University Badgers 3-1 in their quarter-final to advance to the championship this weekend. The only time the Lions and Mustangs met this year was in the opening match of the season, when the Lions pulled off a 3-2 victory on home court.
Facing off in the other semifinal are the McMaster Marauders and U of T Varsity Blues. McMaster comes into the championship following a 3-1 quarter-final win over the University of Waterloo Warriors. The Marauders won the OUA West Division with a 15-4 regular season record and handed the Lions their only conference loss this year. Meanwhile, the Varsity Blues ended the season in second place in the OUA East Division at 12-7 and then cruised to a straight-set win over the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the quarter-final. Earlier this season the Marauders defeated the Blues 3-1 at home.
Action gets underway on Friday evening and the championship trophies will be handed out on Saturday night at the conclusion of play.
Schedule
| Friday, Feb. 20 | ||
| 6pm | Toronto vs. McMaster | OUA semifinal |
| 8pm | Western vs. York | OUA semifinal |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 | ||
| 6pm | Semifinal losers | OUA bronze medal game |
| 8pm | Semifinal winners | OUA gold medal game |
Ticket information
Fans wanting to view the games can purchase tickets in advance or at the door. Tickets are limited and will be sold at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to purchase tickets ahead of time, contact Antonio Santilli, communications & promotions officer, Sport & Recreation, at ext. 55982. As this is an OUA championship, all York students will be subject to admission fees. Ticket prices are as follows:
| Single day pass | Two-day pass | |
| Adult | $8 | $14 |
| Student/senior | $5 | $8 |