Trinity Western University has won the 2026 Canadian University Men’s Volleyball Championships. On Sunday at the Toldo Lancer Centre in Windsor, Ontario, the Spartans defeated the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in an all-British Columbia matchup by a score of 25-22, 15-25, 26-24, 11-25, 15-8. It was interesting that the Spartans came through with the win, even though they lost their two sets by a combined total of 24 points. In fact, the Thunderbirds actually had more points in the game than the Spartans. University of British Columbia had 104 points and Trinity Western University had 92 points. However, like the sport in tennis, in volleyball, it is not how many points you win, it is when you win them.
The Spartans were the Canada West champions and number one seeds at the national championships. They had a regular season record of 17 wins and three losses. Confusingly, the Thunderbirds had a regular season record of 20 wins and one loss, but were only the seventh seeds. The only regular season loss the Thunderbirds had came on November 14, when the Spartans won 29-27, 25-21, 18-25, 22-25, 15-13.
Then in the Canada West Men’s Volleyball Championships, the Thunderbirds were shockingly beaten in straight sets by the University of Manitoba Bisons in the Canada West semifinals, 25-20, 25-20, 25-17. The Spartans then beat the Bisons to win the Canada West title, 25-19, 23-25, 25-13, 27-25.
In the Spartans’s championship title win over the Thunderbirds, two Spartans players reached double digits in points. Outside hitter Kaden Schmidt of Mississauga, Ontario had 26.5 points and outside Piers De Greeff of Victoria, British Columbia had 23.5 points. En route to the final, Trinity Western also beat Western three sets to love in the quarterfinals, and Windsor three sets to one in the semifinals.
This was Trinity Western’s eighth Canadian men’s volleyball championship victory. They previously won in 2006, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2023.
