Varsity Blues crowned 2015 OUA Women's Volleyball Champions

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's volleyball team defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 24-26, 25-17, 15-9) in the 2015 OUA Final Four gold-medal match on Saturday night (Feb. 21) in Guelph, Ont. 

The win marks Toronto's ninth OUA title in program history, and first since claiming the banner in 2010.  U of T has now won eight of the last 20 provincial titles. 

The No. 3 nationally ranked Blues were 18-1 during the regular season and went onto defeat the Queen's Gaels 3-0 in quarter-finals and edged the Western Mustangs 3-2 in semi-final action last night.

"The resilience that they demonstrated was amazing," said Varsity Blues head coach Kristine Drakcih. "We talked about the it's the teams who can play their systems best in these moments that prevail. We weathered some storms and it wasn't always easy; Ottawa played great. I'm just so proud of how we stuck to our plan and stuck to our system."

Fifth-year veteran and OUA East player of the year Charlotte Sider led the Blues with 15 kills, 11 digs, two blocks and two aces, while Jennifer Neilson added 12 kills, four aces and three blocks on the night. Neilson was named the player of the match for her efforts. 

Rookie Anna Feore had a breakout game, notching 12 kills and eight digs, while Bojana Radan added 10 kills, three blocks and two aces.

Madelyn Mandryk notched an outstanding 49 assists, with Denise Wooding recording 16 digs in the victory. 

The University of Toronto is now set to host the 2015 CIS women's volleyball championship, presented by Canuck Stuff, this week (Feb. 26-Mar. 1) at the brand new Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. 

All eight teams have been confirmed, with Toronto and Ottawa representing the OUA, Trinity Western, Alberta and UBC coming from Canada West, Montreal and Laval earning the RSEQ berths and Dalhousie on behalf of the AUS. Tournament seeding and scheduling will be announced Monday morning.

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues