Dalhousie women’s volleyball team looking to return to glory

A 10-year championship streak is tough to top. Since 2023, when the team won its last Atlantic University Sport title, the Dalhousie University women’s volleyball team has been trying to regain its stranglehold on the conference.

The Tigers have lost in the semifinal the past two seasons, but a core of upperclassmen, who contributed to the most recent title, and an influx of young talent are looking to bring the 3-6 team back to their former glory. 

Ella Hornby, a fifth-year outside hitter from Calgary who played in the middle for the last two championships, said the current team is emulating the mindset of past champion teams.

“Every year is very unique and has its own challenges,” Hornby says.

Rather than seeing the team’s previous success as added stakes, Hornby is proud of what the program has achieved.

“I really don’t see it as pressure to repeat the results of the past,” she says. “It’s a privilege to be a part of a program that did it. Some teams don’t even get to win a championship, let alone 10.”

Building on last year

Annik Boldon, a fourth-year outside hitter, says the 2025-26 season has been about building off last year. 

Dalhousie finished first in the AUS in the 2024-25 season, with a 16-4 regular season record, under Patrick Murray, in his first season as head coach. But matched with Memorial University in the first round of the playoffs, the Tigers were ousted in a three-game series. 

Murray, who won coach of the year, was disappointed by the early exit.

“I mean, it obviously did not end up the way that I would have hoped,” he said. “It was a challenge on many levels.

“I certainly took it very personally. I spent a lot of time figuring out what the off-season and the [regular] season needed to look like in order to prepare us to be better in that moment again.”

So far this season

The new season started with the team getting their revenge versus Memorial, but after three-straight losses, the Tigers haven’t been able to pair wins together yet. 

This year’s roster features six freshmen and four graduating players, including former AUS MVP Talia Vydykhan. With a mix of young blood and seniors, Boldon says the program has kept its core, which is important for setting the team’s culture.

As players have come and gone since Dal won its last championship, Boldon and Hornby’s roles have been carrying forward that same winning mindset. Hornby says their former veterans did a “good job” showing how things should be. 

“Our vets have always been so good,” Boldon said. “Now that it’s our turn to be vets, I think that we take pride in making sure that our rookies feel comfortable coming to us, and that we build that relationship so that they know what’s expected of them.”

Murray, Hornby and Boldon agree that the AUS is now more competitive. 

“It’s clear that every team is putting in the work and adopting their own identities, and I think that’s clearly paid off,” Hornby said.

Murray, who assistant coached for the Tigers on-and-off since 2010 before becoming head coach, said the proof lies in how competitive the AUS has been at nationals in recent years. 

“The respect for the conference has increased as a result,” Murray says. “The increase in parity is not only going to be beneficial to our conference, but it’s also going to draw in stronger recruits.”