LANGLEY, B.C. — One quarterfinal came down to the final points of a deciding set, the other was settled before Saint Mary’s could establish any rhythm.
After Sherbrooke survived a dramatic five-set battle with Thompson Rivers, while Brock advanced comfortably with a straight-sets win over the Huskies, the right side of the U SPORTS women’s volleyball championship bracket had produced its semifinal matchup.
Prevailing are two programs still chasing the first national title in their histories, with Sherbrooke and Brock now one match away from playing for a U SPORTS championship.
TRU pushes the favourite in thriller
Sherbrooke was within a single point of ending the match in four sets, but Thompson Rivers refused to let it end that easily.
Seventh-seeded TRU erased two match points, stole the fourth set, and briefly grabbed control of the deciding fifth before No. 2 Sherbrooke finally steadied itself — escaping with a 3-2 result (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 27-29, 15-13) early Friday afternoon.
The Vert & Or entered the tournament as one of the country’s most dominant teams, posting a 20-1 regular season record in the RSEQ before capturing the conference championship over Montréal.
The Wolfpack arrived as a young lower seed after navigating through the deepest conference in U SPORTS, Canada West. TRU eliminated the defending national champion Manitoba in the conference quarterfinals.
Despite the seeding difference, the WolfPack finished with more kills (59-58), assists (53-50), digs (84-79) and service aces (4-3) than the Vert & Or. Sherbrooke’s edge ultimately came from efficiency, committing fewer attacking errors and protecting the net with 11 total blocks compared to TRU’s eight.
How it happened
Sherbrooke’s attack clicked early behind outside hitter Beatrice Dubreuil and middle Gabrielle Minier as they took the first set 25-20. Dubreuil was impactful on both sides of the ball registering a team-high 18 kills on .379 hitting, along with 15 digs 4 blocks.
TRU bounced back with a sharp second set to level the match before Sherbrooke regained control in the third, moving one set away from the semifinals.
The drama ramped up late in the fourth.
Holding match point at 24-22, Sherbrooke appeared poised to close the contest. But TRU found another gear. The WolfPack extended rallies, forced errors, and came back to push the set beyond regulation.
Kills from Rida Erlalelitepe and Maria Dancheva swung the momentum, and the WolfPack eventually closed out the set the set 29-27, forcing a tiebreaker and breathing life into the upset bid.
Sherbrooke responded quickly though to begin the fifth, jumping out to a 3-0 lead early.
But one more time, Thompson Rivers was up to the task.
Behind steady setting from Libby Meldrum and strong attacking from Erlalelitepe and Dancheva, the WolfPack clawed ahead 9-7, forcing a Sherbrooke timeout and raising the possibility of a major tournament upset.
From there, it became a point-for-point battle.
Sherbrooke’s front row stabilized. With the score tied late, Dubreuil delivered the final surge, scoring the decisive points that sealed the 15-13 victory and ended the WolfPack’s run.
The result ends a historic first national appearance for the TRU.
Pushing the Vert & Or to the final points of a deciding set means the Wolfpack can leave nationals with belief that they are strong enough to compete on this stage and capable of finishing the job.
Badgers roll past Huskies
While the tournament’s first quarterfinal needed five sets to decide a winner, the second was settled quickly.
The OUA champions controlled the match from the opening rally and swept Saint Mary’s 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-18) in the second quarterfinal of the afternoon.
The Badgers have qualified for nationals in back-to-back campaigns — the only two appearances in program history. This is SMU’s 27th trip to nationals, while they also search for their program’s first banner.
How it happened
Brock’s attack was overwhelming for the Huskies. The Badgers finished with 41 kills compared to Saint Mary’s 19, hitting .178 as a team while limiting the AUS champions to a -.020 hitting percentage.
Outside hitter Emily Foest led the charge with 14 kills on .346 hitting, while Madison Tuck added nine kills for the Badgers. Emma Baruchelli was also extremely efficient efficient performances of the match with eight kills on .500 hitting, along with four blocks.
Setter Mackenna Knox directed the offense with 36 assists, consistently finding Brock’s hitters in rhythm as the Badgers controlled play at the net.
SMU struggled to generate consistent offense against Brock’s length. Esther Wildeboer and Emilia Mikanovich each recorded six kills to lead the Huskies, but Saint Mary’s committed more attacking errors than kills across the game'sthree sets.
Early in the opening set Brock took command, pulling away for a 25-19 win. Saint Mary’s briefly stayed within reach during the second set, before the Badgers closed the frame 25-22.
Any remaining doubt disappeared in the third.
Taking over defensively, Brock’s front row gradually extended the Badgers' lead before sealing the sweep 25-18.
The result continues Brock’s strong postseason run after the Badgers captured the OUA championship with wins over Ottawa, Queen’s and McMaster.
Saint Mary’s entered nationals as the AUS champion, having defeated Memorial in the semifinal before sweeping UNB in the conference final.
Brock now turns its attention to Sherbrooke, in a semifinal where both teams will vie to make history and advance to the title game, while TRU and SMU begin the consolation semis.