TORONTO (U SPORTS) – The Trinity Western Spartans have reclaimed the top ranking in U SPORTS men’s volleyball, following a highly-anticipated weekend series with the Manitoba Bisons to close the regular season, while the McMaster Marauders have earned the No.1 spot in the final women’s basketball poll of the year.
Trinity Western (21-3) earned a pair of victories – 3-0 on Friday and 3-1 Saturday - at home over previously-ranked No.1 Manitoba (21-3), who slip to No.2 in this week’s poll. The Spartans will host Winnipeg (13-11), in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series beginning Thursday, while the Bisons have a bye this week before hosting the conference final four Mar.10-11.
In women’s basketball, McMaster (17-2 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) advanced to the OUA Critelli Cup Final Four on Saturday by eliminating Western (8-12 regular season, 0-1 playoffs) with an 82-54 win. The Marauders will face No.4 Carleton (18-1 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) in the OUA semifinal Friday night at Queen’s for a berth in the OUA Championship game and the U SPORTS ArcelorMittal Dofasco Women’s Final 8.
In other U SPORTS rankings, Carleton (men’s basketball), UNB (men’s hockey), UBC (women’s hockey), Guelph (men’s track and field), and Toronto (women’s volleyball and women’ track and field) all hold on to their pole positions.
Notes: Top 10 rankings conclude this week in men’s basketball, women’s basketball and women’s hockey. The final Top 10 Tuesday for the 2016-17 season will include men’s hockey, men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball and track and field next Tuesday, Mar. 7.
The U SPORTS #CHAMPSZN got underway this past weekend with the Brock Badgers sweeping the wrestling banners over the weekend at the University of Winnipeg and the UBC Thunderbirds claiming both the men’s and women’s swimming titles in Sherbrooke, Que. Following a one-week break, action resumes with track and field (March 9-11 at the University of Alberta), women’s basketball (Mar. 9-12 and the University of Victoria) and men’s basketball (Mar. 9-12, in Halifax, N.S., hosted by Dalhousie University). The week after, men’s volleyball (Mar. 17-19 at the University of Alberta), women’s volleyball (Mar. 17-19 at Ryerson University), women’s hockey (Mar. 16-19 in Napanee, Ont., hosted by Queen’s University) and men’s hockey (Mar. 16-19 at the University of New Brunswick) will crown their U SPORTS champions. Sportsnet U will broadcast the semifinals and finals of the men’s basketball, women’s basketball and men’s hockey championships.
#CHAMPSZN concludes with curling at the Fort William Curling Club in Thunder Bay, Ont., hosted by Lakehead University from March 19-22.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
(regular season record) / (playoff record) / votes (1st place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. Carleton (19-0) / (1-0) / 470 pts (47) / (1)
2. Ryerson (17-2) / (1-0) / 420 / (3)
3. Ottawa (16-3) / (1-0) / 371 / (4)
4. Brock (15-4) / (1-0) / 310 / (5)
5. Calgary (16-4) / (2-0) / 271 / (6)
6. McGill (13-3) / (0-0) / 201 / (7)
7. UBC (19-1) / (0-2) / 183 / (2)
8. Alberta (14-6) / (2-1) / 126 / (8)
9. Saskatchewan (14-6) / (2-0) / 118 / (9)
10. Dalhousie (16-4) / (0-0) / 91 / (10)
Other teams receiving votes: Manitoba (12), UNB (9)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
(regular season record) / (playoff record) / votes (1st place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. McMaster (17-2) / (1-0) / 549 pts (34) / (2)
2. Regina (17-3) / (2-0) / 495 (2) / (3)
3. Laval (14-2) / (0-0) / 489 (8) / (1)
4. Carleton (18-1) / (1-0) / 441 (3) / (4)
5. Queen’s (18-1) / (1-0) / 376 / (5)
6. Winnipeg (18-2) / (2-1) / 310 / (6)
7. Windsor (16-4) / (1-0) / 293 / (7)
8. Saskatchewan (15-5) / (2-1) / 222 / (8)
9. Alberta (17-3) / (2-0) / 153 / (NR)
10. Saint Mary’s (15-5) / (0-0) / 119 / (9)
Other teams receiving votes: McGill (115), Ryerson (56)
(regular season record) / (playoff record) / votes (1st place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. UNB (25-2-3) / (2-0) / 150 (15) / (1)
2. Saskatchewan (21-5-2) / (2-0) / 134 / (2)
3. McGill (21-4-3) / (4-0) / 117 / (3)
4. Alberta (18-8-2) / (2-0) / 105 / (6)
5. StFX (16-12-2) / (4-0) / 65 / (10)
6. York (18-6-4) / (4-0) / 62 / (9)
7. Queen's (18-7-3) / (4-2) / 55 / (NR)
8. Acadia (20-8-2) / (0-2) / 51 / (5)
9. Windsor (13-13-2) / (4-1) / 31 / (NR)
10. Calgary (18-9-1) / (2-2) / 18 / (8)
Other teams receiving votes: Concordia (14), Ryerson (13), St. Mary's (9), UQTR (1)
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
(regular season record) / (playoff record) / votes / (previous ranking)
1. UBC (23-4-1) / (2-1) / 40 pts / (1)
2. Guelph (20-3-1) / (2-0) / 35 / (2)
3. Saint Mary's (18-3-3) / (1-1) / 33 / (3)
4. McGill (16-4-0) / (2-1) / 28 / (4)
5. Alberta (21-4-3) / (2-0) / 24 / (6)
6. St. Thomas (17-4-3) / (1-1) / 18 / (7)
7. Manitoba (19-7-2) / (2-2) / 17 / (5)
8. Nipissing (17-4-3) / (2-1) / 11 / (9)
9. Toronto (17-7-0) / (2-1) / 10 / (10)
10. Montreal (11-8-1) / (0-2) / 3 / (8)
Other teams receiving votes: Concordia (1)
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
(points) / (previous ranking)
1. Guelph 117 pts / (1)
2. Windsor 61 / (2)
3. Western 56 / (3)
4. Laval 50.5 / (5)
5. Toronto 46.5 / (4)
6. Manitoba 38.5 / (6)
7. Trinity Western 34.5 / (NR)
8. Victoria 33 / (10)
9. Lethbridge 28 / (9)
10. Alberta 25 / (7)
Other teams receiving votes: Dalhousie (24.5), Waterloo (24)
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
(points) / (previous ranking)
1. Toronto 122 pts / (1)
2. Guelph 86 / (2)
3. Western 64.5 / (3)
4. Alberta 61.5 / (5)
5. Calgary 58 / (4)
6. Sherbrooke 52 / (5)
7. Windsor 45.5 / (7)
8. Trinity Western 35 / (8)
9. Manitoba 24 / (NR)
10. Laval 21 / (9)
Other teams receiving votes: Regina (20.5), Ottawa (19)
(regular season record) / (playoff record) / votes (1st place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. Trinity Western (21-3) / (0-0) / 280 pts (15) / (3)
2. Manitoba (21-3) / (0-0) / 264 (6) / (1)
3. McMaster (17-0) / (0-0) / 262 (10) / (2)
4. Alberta (20-4) / (0-0) / 216 / (4)
5. Laval (15-2) / (0-0) / 169 / (5)
6. UBC (16-8) / (0-0) / 155 / (6)
7. Brandon (14-10) / (0-0) / 112 / (7)
8. Montreal (13-4) / (2-0) / 72 / (8)
9. Winnipeg (13-11) / (0-0) / 53 / (9)
10. Mount Royal (13-11) / (0-0) / 45 / (10)
Other teams receiving votes: York (42)
(regular season record) / (playoff record) / votes (1st place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. Toronto (19-0) / (0-0) / 57.5 (3) / (1)
2. UBC (20-4) / (0-0) / 54.5 (1) / (2)
3. Alberta (22-2) / (0-0) / 53 pts (1) / (4)
4. Trinity Western (21-3) / (0-0) / 51 / (3)
5. Calgary (18-6) / (0-0) / 42 / (5)
6. Montreal (15-5) / (2-0) / 39 / (6)
7. Dalhousie (19-1) / (0-0) / 37.5 / (7)
8. McMaster (16-3) / (0-0) / 31.5 / (8)
9. UBC Okanagan (15-9) / (0-0) / 27 / (9)
10. Western (15-4) / (0-0) / 21 / (10)
Other teams receiving votes: Laval (18.5), Ryerson (16), McGill (13.5), Memorial (12), Thompson Rivers (4)