Seedings for the 2010 CIS Women’s Volleyball Championship were announced on Sunday, and the University of Regina will enter the national tournament as the No. 4 seed after qualifying with a five-set win over Trinity Western on Saturday night in the Canada West bronze medal match.
The Cougars will square off with No. 5-seeded Laval in the quarterfinals in a match that will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon in Edmonton. The two teams have already met once this season, with Regina earning a 3-1 win during the Pandas Invitational in a non-conference match in late December.
“We saw Laval at Christmas, so there’s a level of familiarity with them,” head coach
Melanie Sanford said. “We know they’re a good team and it’ll be a tough match on Friday, but we’ve played under pressure virtually every single weekend since the second half of the season started and we’ll be ready.”
Depending on Friday’s results, Regina will play either UBC or Saint Mary’s on Saturday in the tournament semifinal or the consolation bracket.
The Cougars will be making their third appearance at the national tournament, having qualified in 1990 and 2000 as well. Regina’s first-round opponent in 1990 was also Laval, with the Cougars taking a three-set sweep to move on to the semis.
SSN Canada (
www.ssncanada.ca) will be webcasting all 11 matches at the tournament.
TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS
1. UBC Thunderbirds (Canada West champions / 20-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
2. Montreal Carabins (QSSF champions / 20-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
3. Manitoba Bisons (Canada West finalists / 15-5 regular season, 3-1 playoffs)
4. Regina Cougars (Canada West bronze medalists / 13-7 regular season, 3-1 playoffs)
5. Laval Rouge et Or (QSSF finalists / 13-7 regular season, 2-2 playoffs)
6. Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA champions / 14-5 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
7. Alberta Pandas (Hosts / 12-8 regular season, 0-2 playoffs)
8. Saint Mary’s Huskies (AUS champions / 13-7 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)