The U of T women’s volleyball won bronze in the Ontario University Athletic (OUA) championships for the third year in a row.

Fourth-year veteran Charlotte Sider was named Second Team All–Canadian, while Tessa Davis was named to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) all-rookie team, after their strong performances this past season. “It was nice,” said head coach Kristine Drakich, “but it was a tremendous team that helped them get this honour.”

Drakich’s emphasis on the totality of her team was evident when discussing the Blues’ slow start in the preseason when they posted a 2–7 record: “It’s [preseason] where you identify the gaps on your team. It was a very successful, but maybe not in the results.”

Drakich used the preseason to acclimate several rookies to the team, as well as to get the veterans ready to play with them. Nonetheless, the team started the season slowly (2–2), including losses to both Toronto-based rivals, the Ryerson Rams and the York Lions.

After identifying the gaps that they had as a team, the Blues were able to fill them as they went along by employing their diverse roster — 14 of 16 players in the program received significant playing time throughout the season. “The beauty of this team was we were able to move around people seamlessly,” Drakich said. The team began to gel, defeating the McMaster Marauders 3–0 while beginning a seven-game winning streak, eventually finishing tied for first place by the winter break.

Throughout the rest of the season, the Blues were neck and neck with Ottawa and York for first place in the OUA east division. The Blues went on a six-game winning streak to overtake Ottawa and York, allowing them to finish in first place in the division.

Before advancing to the final four, the Blues had to face their downtown rivals, the Ryerson Rams. The Rams had defeated the Blues 3–1 earlier in the season. However, the Blues were not the same team and swept the Rams 3–0 to assure themselves a place in the final four.

In the semi-finals of the final four, the Blues faced the McMaster Marauders after beating them earlier in the season. The game began with an intense first set that went to extras (35–33). Drakich noted that: “Both teams were a little nervous off the start.” The Blues would go on to lose 3–1 to the Marauders. “We didn’t play as freely as we did the majority of the year,” Drakich said.

However, the Blues rebounded the next day, defeating the Guelph Gryphons for third place in the tournament. “The bronze is such a hard match; I was proud the team came ready to play.”

Although the Blues didn’t win a championship, the team has a bright future. Out of the 16 athletes in the program, at least 13 of them will be returning. “As disappointing as the end result was in many ways,” Drakich said, “I’m very excited to move forward. The core group is back again.”