Men's university volleyball can be traced back to the 1950s when teams like the Alberta Golden Bears would play organized matches against other schools in the Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WCIAA).

[4][5] The Ontario-Quebec Athletic Association (O-QAA) first awarded a conference title to the Toronto Varsity Blues which came in the 1965–66 season.

[12] The Memorial Sea-Hawks discontinued their men's volleyball program after the 2016–17 season, leaving the AUS with only two teams, which was below the three-team league minimum for a varsity sport.

[12] After a transition year, the Dalhousie Tigers and UNB Reds joined the RSEQ, resulting in the AUS conference's exit from men's volleyball.

[14][15] To prepare for the season, teams will typically play a series of exhibition games against conference and non-conference opponents.

[17] In 2019, the Can Am Volleyball Holiday Showcase was created which featured eight teams from across North America, including those competing in the NCAA.

[20][21][22] In the RSEQ conference, the five teams play against each opponent four times (twice home and twice away) for a total of 16 regular season games.

In the RSEQ, the top four teams qualify for the playoffs and play a best-of-three series in the semi-finals and in the conference championship.

[31][32] The Memorial Sea-Hawks folded their program after the 2016–17 season, leaving the AUS with one team short of the three-team minimum for a varsity league.

[13] Conversely, the Canada West conference added teams with the UBCO Heat joining in 2011–12, Mount Royal Cougars in 2012–13, and MacEwan Griffins in 2014–15.