Jr. Bisons boys club volleyball team wins national title

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2022 (1183 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FORT GARRY

A combination of brains and brawn helped the Jr. Bisons boys U18 club volleyball team win the title at the 2022 Volleyball Canada national youth championships.

The Jr. Bisons went undefeated 9-0 and only dropped two sets at the national competition, which was held May 18 to 24 at Edmonton EXPO Centre in Edmonton, Alta.

“We played our best game every single game, and we set our goals high and achieved them together as a team. It was a pretty cool feeling,” said Jr. Bisons libero player Thomas Kiesman, 17, who was also named the MVP of the tournament. “It felt even better because there’s been so much delay. We finally got what we’ve been working toward for three years.”

“It was a great experience to be competing with some of the best players around Canada. It was a good challenge, and I was super proud of our team, coaches and how we responded to adversity,” added left-side hitter Dylan Martens, 17.

Leading up to nationals, the Jr. Bisons practiced three times a week with two additional workouts and weekend tournaments. The team went undefeated in Manitoba this year and two years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person sporting events, they were also undefeated in the province.

“Some teams have two or three good players, but when you have a full roster it just makes such a better team,” said 17-year-old outside hitter Liam Pauls.

A strong connection, hard work and focus helped the team succeed.

“We all had the same goal in mind, and we played so strongly as a team. We were all on the same page at all times and we just knew we weren’t going to let anything come between us and our goals,” Kiesman said.

“We trust each other, had a deep roster, set a goal and nothing could stop us from achieving it,” Pauls added.

Coach Maiya Westwood said the Jr. Bisons were one of the best passing teams in the country, and the hard work they put in strengthening their defence showed at nationals.

“Some of the boys on our team played high school at Westgate and we won provincials there. During the club season, we started off pretty strong in Manitoba and then went to the Best of the West tournament in Calgary, where we ended up finishing ninth,” she said.

After missing out on two years of competition, the boys were ready to hit the court, Westwood added. Since she started coaching the team four years ago, the players have learned to work harder together.

“Coming back from our loss at Best of the West, they worked at the mental training aspect and that fell through with the rest of the season,” she said.

Only two athletes will returning to the Jr. Bisons next season, while the rest will compete at college and university level.

“It’s a closed chapter, but we ended it in the best way,” said Kiesman, who will play with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen next season.