Varsity Blues set to host OUA Women's Volleyball Final Four this weekend

BURLINGTON, Ont. - The University of Toronto Varsity Blues will have a chance to three-peat on home court as they host the 2017 OUA Women's Volleyball Final Four, presented by lululemon, March 10-11, at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.

The No. 1 nationally ranked Blues will take on the Western Mustangs in Friday's first semifinal match at 6 p.m. The McMaster Marauders and Ryerson Rams will follow in the second semifinal at 8 p.m.

The winners of Friday's semifinals will face off for the OUA banner on Saturday night at 8 p.m. The bronze-medal match will precede it at 6 p.m.

Advanced tickets are on sale here.  All four matches will also be streamed live on OUA.tv.

Also up for grabs this weekend is two berths to the U SPORTS national championship, hosted by the Ryerson Rams for the first time, March 17-19, at Mattamy Athletic Centre.

As hosts, the Rams automatically qualify for the national tournament. Should Ryerson win their semifinal on Friday, the winner of the bronze-medal match will earn the OUA's third spot to the U SPORTS championship.

Toronto Varsity Blues (19-0, 1^st OUA East)

The Varsity Blues achieved a perfect 19-0 regular season record for the second consecutive year in 2016-17. Toronto will look to match Western's league leading 11 OUA banners this season, having won three of the last seven provincial titles.

U of T earned their spot in the Final Four following a dominant 3-0 victory over the Waterloo Warriors in quarter-final action on Saturday. Led by second-year right side hitter Alina Dormann and fifth-year setter Madelyn Mandryk, the Blues are pitted as Final Four favourites this weekend.

Dormann led the OUA in kills (4.39) and points per set (5.3), recording double-digit points in every match this season. Mandryk topped the province in assists per set (9.76) for the third consecutive year and has been vital to leading the young Blues squad to success.

McMaster Marauders (16-3, 1^st OUA West)

The McMaster Marauders finished atop the OUA West division for the first time since 2014-15 with an impressive 16-3 record. They ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak and topped the York Lions in straight sets in Saturday's quarter-final match-up to advance to their second straight Final Four.

The Marauders, who have won two OUA women's volleyball banners in program history (2008, 2014), are led by fourth-year veterans Joanna Jedrzejewska and Maicee Sorensen.

A 5-foot-7 outside hitter, Jedrzejewska led McMaster averaging 3.02 kills and 3.7 points per set this season. The Hamilton, Ont., native hit double digit points in all but three matches this season and is key to the Marauders attack. Sorensen led the team with 64 blocks, averaging 2.7 points per set. The duo finished 1-2 in the OUA in serving aces this season, with Sorensen leading the league with 40 aces in 19 matches.

Western Mustangs (15-4, 2^nd OUA West)

Though holding one of the best records in the OUA, the Western Mustangs ended the regular season with three losses in their final five matches. They bounced back with a convincing 3-0 quarter-final victory over the Queen's Gaels on Saturday and will look to ride that momentum into their semifinal showdown with Toronto on Friday night.

Western has won an OUA-leading 11 provincial titles, last claiming the banner in 2010-11, and will rely on third-year middle Kelsey Veltman to lead the charge. 

Veltman once again dominated at the net, leading the OUA with 92 blocks, ranking second in the province with 5.2 points per set and third with a .325 attack efficiency. Fourth-year Mustangs setter Kat Tsiofas sat fifth in the league, averaging 8.60 assists per set, while third-year right Aja Gyimah posted 3.3 points per set over 16 matches this year.

Ryerson Rams (15-4, 2^nd OUA East)

After a program-best silver-medal finish at last year's OUA Final Four, the Ryerson Rams come into this year's event with their eyes on the prize. The Rams have secured their second national tournament berth in program history as hosts of this year's championship, but that doesn't take their minds off the task at hand.

A veteran trio has led the Rams through 2016-17. Third-year middle Theanna Vernon topped the squad with 3.9 points per set, also ranking second in the province with 36 serving aces and 88 total blocks. Fifth-year outside hitter Veronica Livingston led the team in kills per set (2.98), while fourth-year libero Julie Longman ranked fifth in the province with 3.49 digs per set.

2017 OUA Women's Volleyball Final Four

Friday, March 10
6:00pm: Semifinal #1 Western vs Toronto
8:00pm: Semifinal #2 Ryerson vs McMaster

Saturday, March 11
6:00pm: Bronze Medal Match
8:00pm: Gold Medal Match