The rivalry between the Brock Badgers and McMaster Marauders will be renewed once again as they vie for women's volleyball supremacy.
The 2026 edition of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Quigley Cup, the fifth consecutive final hosted by Brock at Bob Davis Gymnasium, will take place on Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m. Doors are set to open at 5 p.m., with the awards ceremony taking place shortly after the match concludes.
Brock comes into this game as the No. 4 nationally ranked team in the country and No. 1 OUA seed after a 17-3 regular season record. Standing across the net will be a McMaster squad that finished third in the OUA with a 15-5 record and was ranked as high as No. 5 earlier in the season.
After falling 3-1 to the Badgers in the 2023-24 Quigley Cup, the Marauders responded in last season's champion match with a three-set sweep to capture their first OUA title since 2016-17.
McMaster's Olivia Julien (left) and Brock's Mackenna Knox (right) battle at the net during the 2025 Quigley Cup at Bob Davis Gymnasium. (Photo by Mackenzie Gerry)
The stakes are high as the OUA champion will be the lone provincial representative at the U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship taking place in Langley, B.C., from Friday, March 13 to Sunday, March 15.
The two teams are evenly matched offensively, with McMaster and Brock finishing second and third in Ontario with hitting percentages of .218 and .214, respectively. Both also ranked in the top five in kills per set, with the Marauders placing second (11.93) and the Badgers fifth (11.70).
Defensively, each side has its strength as the Marauders come in with 1,029 digs, good for sixth in the OUA, while the Badgers were third in the province in total blocks with 180.
All-stars will be on display throughout the match as each side accounted for three during the OUA's recent announcement.
The Badgers are led offensively by fifth-year outside hitter and OUA Second-Team All-Star Emily Foest, who delivered 204 kills and 242.5 points, to finish ninth and 10th in the conference. Emma Baruchelli was a threat both as an attacker and a blocker this season, placing seventh in the OUA with a .312 hitting percentage and 10th with 0.83 blocks per set while earning Third-Team All-Star recognition.
Emily Foest celebrates a point during the 2025-26 OUA season. (Photo by Mackenzie Gerry)
Countering on the Marauders' side at the outside pin will be Olivia Julien, a third-year outside hitter and First-Team All-Star, who was fifth in the OUA in kills per set (3.53) and sixth in points per set (4.2). The Marauders also saw all-star selections for outside hitters Abby Delamere (Third-Team) and Eva Lin (All-Rookie), who averaged 1.39 and 1.21 kills per set, respectively.
Running the offence for the Badgers is third-year setter Mackenna Knox, who earned a First Team All-Star selection this past season. Her 8.97 assists per set placed her second in the province and sixth in the country.
During the year, McMaster saw three different setters earn over 100 assists, with Charlie Dean, a grad transfer from the Acadia Axewomen, leading the pack with 372 assists and 6.89 assists per set.
Charlie Dean sets the ball for the McMaster Marauders during an 2025-26 OUA regular season game. (Photo by Brayden Swire)
On the defensive side of the court, Foest led the Badgers with 178 digs while Knox added 144. The Marauders' top digs producer was second-year libero Jennifer Wu, who recorded 199 to rank ninth in the conference.
The two teams met during the regular season on Nov. 28 and 29, with the Badgers earning 3-0 and 3-1 victories.
The 2026 Quigley Cup is officially sold out and there will be no tickets available at the door. Fans attending are invited to use the free coat check located in Gym 2 across from Bob Davis Gymnasium.
The match will be streamed live on OUA.tv and is free to watch.
