1971 VANCOUVER CALONAS

The 1971 Vancouver Calonas were part of a dynasty that dominated women’s volleyball in Canada from 1966-75 and won nine consecutive National Open Championships. In Vic Lindal’s last year as head coach, the 971 team played an undefeated regular season.
During January of 1971, the Calonas travelled to Los Angeles for the Three Flags Tournament, where they beat the USA’s best teams and finished second to the Brazilian national collegiate team.
For the 1971 Pan Am Games, ten of the 12 players that made women’s volleyball team were from the Vancouver Calonas. Head coach Vic Lindal, assistant coach Art Wilms and manager Margaret Harris were also from the Calonas. Their team became the first to beat the USA in international play and finished fifth. Several players from the Calonas and Pan Am Games team also went on to play for Canada in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
To top off the team’s historic year, the Calonas won Sport BC’s Team of the Year Award for second year in a row. This was the only volleyball team to ever win this honour and the only team of any sport with consecutive awards.