Sitting volleyball a hit at Durham College

The inaugural year of sitting volleyball at Durham College (DC) was a big success.

Earlier this month, DC hosted the 2025 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Volleyball National Championship. During that event, DC partnered with ParaSport Ontario for the inaugural college/university sitting volleyball tournament. Five teams competed, including DC and Ontario Tech University. At the end of a fun day of competition, the Lords topped their campus rivals to finish third.

“It’s the first time that sitting volleyball has been included at a national level,” said Joe Millage, a former Director of ParaSport and Head Coach of the Lords team.

He got the volleyball rolling last summer when he approached DC Athletics and Recreation Director Scott Dennis about incorporating the sport, and he’s been amazed by the support from the college.

“Normally, I have to plead with people to give it a try. It took him about 10 seconds to say, ‘we’re in’,” said Millage. “Durham College truly embodies the spirit of inclusiveness.”

DC’s new team in the exciting and accessible sport hit the practice court last fall, and interest has been steadily growing ever since. Over the course of the season, the team grew from a handful of athletes to almost 30.

Recreation Therapy student Ashley Green was the first one on the court. With years of experience in the sport, she was eager to share it with her fellow DC students, and she helped lead the way for the team throughout the year.

“It’s been a great season and a lot of fun getting to play competitively and meeting a lot of new people along the way,” she said. “We had good turnouts for the practices each week, and everyone had good sportsmanship. “

The growing sport will continue to have a home at DC. The Ontario Volleyball Association is recruiting their first provincial sitting volleyball team, and the camp is scheduled to be held here in June.

Next season, the Lords will return to the court, and Green can’t wait.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to play, and I hope to make DC proud.”