Pischke sparkles in return to Bisons

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Taylor Pischke (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

V-ballers high-school stars

David Bommersbach (top) of the Miles Macdonell Buckeyes varsity boys' volleyball team and Alex Sabourin of the College Regional Gabrielle-Roy Les Roys varsity boys' volleyball team have been named the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association athletes of the week.

Bommersbach was selected as the Home Run Sports Urban High School athlete of the week after the 6-foot-3 left-side hitter was named to the provincial all-star team at Monday's AAAA provincial high school volleyball championship. Bommersbach, a Grade 12 student, led his team in kills, kill percentage, passing and service aces.

Sabourin, a Grade 12 student, was chosen as the Tri-Star Rural High School athlete of the week as the 5-foot-9 setter helped lead his team to the AAA provincial volleyball championship title last weekend where he was named both the Dairy's Farmer's Player Choice Award co-recipient and the Championship MVP.

Avros defender top female

Winnipeg Avros defender Ashleigh Watson has been named the Selkirk Keystone Source for Sports-Reebok player of the week in the Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League. Watson, an assistant captain, recorded assists on all Avros' goals in last Saturday's 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Ice.

Sanheim, Hardy shine

Taylor Sanheim, 16, of the Yellowhead Chiefs is the Chicken Chef West division player of the week and Mark Hardy, 16, of the Winnipeg Wild is the DEKALB East division player of the week in the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League.

Sanheim, a native of Elkhorn, registered points (four goals and two assists) on six of his team's 10 goals over three games last week and posted a plus-5 rating.

Hardy had two goals and three assists in two games last weekend for the Wild and leads his team in scoring with nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points.

Gryphons voted in to RMLL

The Manitoba Gryphons lacrosse team was accepted as a full member of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) at the recent annual general meeting.

The Gryphons also announced head coach Ken Stuebing was named Coach of the Year in the Tier 1 Division and Gryphons scoring leader Paul Nicholson was selected to the Tier 1 Division all-star team.

The Gryphons, who began in 2011 as a probationary expansion franchise, expect to play 20-22 games in 2013 including at least six home games at the Oakbank One Insurance Arena at Oakbank.

LEFT-SIDE hitter Taylor Pischke was a big hit in her debut with the University of Manitoba Bisons women's volleyball team last weekend.

Not only did Pischke lead the Bisons with 28 kills in a pair of home-court victories, she was named both the Canada West conference female athlete of the week and the Smitty's Bisons female athlete of the week.

Pischke played last season at the University of California at Santa Barbara and had to wait a full calendar year, according to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport rules, to play for the the Bisons.

Pischke and the 6-3 Bisons host the five-time CIS Champion UBC Thunderbirds (9-1) on Friday at Saturday at 6 p.m. both nights at the U of M Investors Group Athletic Centre.

Pischke's father Garth is the Bisons men's volleyball team's head coach and her brother Dane is a fifth-year Bisons men's volleyball team member.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 28, 2012 C4