Bison women rule the court

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This article was published 25/09/2024 (611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Bisons were always going to be a good bet to start the 2024-25 season as the No. 1-ranked team in U Sports women’s volleyball.

Then came the off-season news senior left side Light Uchechukwu was putting off the start of a pro career to return to school for her fifth and final year of eligibility.

That development, combined with the return of seven other regulars including all-star setter Katreena Bentley and reigning U Sports player of the year Raya Surinx, should make the 2023-24 bronze medallists a prohibitive favourite to win the national championship tournament, which they will host March 14-16.

The Bisons, coached by Ken Bentley, have no obvious weaknesses. They have size, experience and will be on a mission to win a national title that eluded them last spring.

“I talked to people but everyone wanted it to be my decision, which was really nice,” said Uchechukwu, who considered pro offers from teams in Switzerland and Finland. “No one told me what to do. I remember I talked to Ken… for three hours and the whole entire time, it was kind of like a father-daughter talk — he wasn’t pushing an agenda on me. He was like, ‘Truly, whatever is going to make you happy,’ which was a great conversation to have.”

Uchechukwu’s presence at early summer workouts was a clue she was reconsidering her decision to leave the U of M.

The need to seek redemption after losing a heart-breaking five-set decision to the Alberta Pandas in the national semifinals was only part of the reason to come back.

The Bisons open the Canada West regular season on the road against the Calgary Dinos on Oct. 18.

“I don’t think it was just for nationals or because we’re hosting nationals, because I don’t think that’s a good enough reason to come back,” said Uchechukwu. “I wanted one more year to try to get better and work on the actual skills. Because I feel like when you go pro, it’s not like someone’s pinpointing and working on your individual skills and trying to get you better.”

Uchechukwu’s teammates have no reason to doubt her dedication to her craft.

“She’s crazy strong and the work that she put in the off-season was just insane,” said fourth-year middle Brenna Bedosky. “She is probably the epitome of fitness right now. She’s so strong, she’s so fit and agile and athletic. Just seeing her in pre-season, she looks scary, and it’s so exciting that she’s on our team because I wouldn’t want to play against her.”

The 5-11 Uchechukwu was second on the team and 12th in the conference with 2.84 kills per match but her off-court presence resonates, too.

“Everyone was sad to see Light go last year, not only because she’s such an incredible volleyball player and adds a lot to our program in terms of just maturity on the volleyball court, but her presence off the court is really special,” said Katreena Bentley, who led Canada West with 10.92 assists per set.

“She kind of makes our team what it is. She’s such a maternal figure for the younger players — so caring and kind and understanding and that her shoes would have been really, really hard for anyone else to fill.”

Bedosky said Uchechukwu’s contributions are integral to team chemistry.

“It feels very put together,” said Bedosky. “If she was gone, I think that chemistry would still be there but with her coming back, it’s just kind of like everything is perfect.”

Memories are last season’s national semifinal loss were tempered by an ankle injury that hobbled Surinx late in the season and in that crucial match.

Manitoba, winners of Canada West and the national tournament’s No. 1 seed last spring, lost 18-16 to Alberta in the final set.

“For me, it’s more being focusing on, ‘OK, what can we do better and where do we go from here? And recognizing that there’s still plenty of opportunity ahead and not trying to dwell too much on the past,” said Katreena Bentley.

“Obviously I can’t change that and none of us can as much as maybe we’d like to go back and be able to change that outcome of the Alberta match. We’re just trying to learn from it and seize the opportunity that we have this year, which is enormous.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca