‘The sky’s the limit for our group this year’ Wesmen seek to recapture last season’s magic on the court By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 6:10 PM CST Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025

If the Winnipeg Wesmen are going to build on their historic run from a season ago, it will be by committee.

The reigning Canada West men’s volleyball champions returned with heightened expectations but admittedly less star power than last campaign, as all-conference outside hitter Isaiah Olfert and Ben Traa, the underrated but not under-appreciated setter, have graduated and left behind two significant holes on the court.

Several players were asked to step into more prominent roles, while head coach Chris Voth has implemented some philosophical changes to diversify his attack.

“I think what’s cool about this year’s team is that we’re super well-rounded, and I think that’s going to give us a different look as well,” said Voth, whose team is preparing for a weekend series in Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Huskies.

“Last year, we were relying heavily on Isaiah, but this year, we’re so well-rounded that we attack teams from all different sides, and I think having that strength in numbers gives us a different dynamic. So we’re not looking to repeat and just replace Isaiah — that’s impossible — but we’re looking for everyone to just do a little bit more, and that’s going to give us kind of different systems and different look.”

On paper, fifth-year outside Jaxon Rose has assumed Olfert’s place as the team’s primary killer.

The 6-10 Dakota Collegiate product has the physical makeup to be a tremendous threat to the rest of Canada West, and after being a constant in the rotation last season, he’s ready for his time in the spotlight.

“I’ve been doing this for a while, like I’m the old guy now,” said Rose. “So, I think saying anything other than I’m excited would be an understatement, because everyone comes and goes and has their chance to really do things that are great for the team, and I think this is my chance now, and I want to step into that role.”

Rose has been steady in an elevated role through four regular season matches, currently seventh in Canada West with 3.29 kills per set and a .353 hitting percentage. While he’s challenged himself to make even greater contributions, Rose has also bought into Voth’s strategic alterations that could see anyone leaned upon to do damage on any given night.

“I think there are a lot of people, not just me, but a lot of people are gonna have to step up.”

“I think there are a lot of people, not just me, but a lot of people are gonna have to step up,” Rose said. “This year will be a big year to show how we play as a team, together. Isaiah was great for us last year — we would give him the ball, and he’d go and score. I don’t think we have anyone this year that is quite that awesome, and that’s okay. I don’t think a team needs someone that amazing to succeed.

“I think that’s a really big thing for the Wesmen, is that we’re not a big superstar kind of team. We’re a lot of strong, local talent, and we build off of each other, and I think that’ll be what separates us from other teams this year.”

Fellow fifth-year Alex Krykewich — who has been teammates with Rose since high school — is another notable player who will be asked to do more. Krykewich has been tabbed as the team’s setter, returning to the starting position he held two years ago.

“The court isn’t new for either of those guys,” Voth said of Rose and Krykewich. “Alex played a lot in previous years, and did play last year quite a bit. Jaxon, obviously, was on the court for almost the entire time. So, in terms of their role and how the team will look and dynamic, we’re still kind of in that storming phase, we’re still gonna figure out how everything is gonna land this year, but they both have a lot of experience, and we’re obviously gonna rely on them a lot. But they’re doing great.”

Libero Carson Brennan will steady the back row, while standout middle blocker Easton Dick — last season’s U Sports rookie of the year — returns for an encore campaign. With that, Voth isn’t expecting his squad to catch anyone off guard like they did last season.

“People know us a little bit more. We had a couple of guys surprise the league last year — won’t be a surprise anymore,” he said. “So it’s going to be tough. Teams will be better prepared to play against us, and now we have a target on our back.”

Despite their different look, the Wesmen remain a team with championship aspirations, motivated by both the glory and heartbreak they tasted at the end of last season.

After a season of firsts, in which they were the conference’s top seed for time and captured their first conference crown, the Wesmen were upset in the opening round of the national championship by the tournament hosts and eventual champion Brandon Bobcats — a bitter end to an otherwise magical season.

“Experiencing what we experienced last year was a first for all of us, really,” said fifth-year middle Paxton Koop. “I mean, I can never really have imagined that outcome happening, but just the experience is so rich and so vital to really running it back this year, as well. I think we proved to ourselves that we can do it. So why not do it again?”

Rose called it unfinished business, while Koop underscored the importance of the group not getting caught up in the past.

“I think the sky’s the limit for our group this year,” said Koop. “It’s on us all to learn from those guys from the last year and kind of make this journey our own.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca