The first spike: ‘Bisonettes’ claimed first women’s national volleyball championship

For a few bright minutes they mingled on the court, separated by more than 40 years but matching in heart, all Bisons women's volleyball champions in their day.

At the centre of it all were three emissaries from the 1970-71 team that made Canadian history.

They were the first, you see. The first of seven Bisons women's volleyball teams to win nationals, the first University of Manitoba women's team in any sport to accomplish such a feat. And on a brisk Saturday in early March, 1971, that spunky young squad claimed the country's first official national women's volleyball crown.

On Wednesday, three alumnae from that ground-breaking team gathered at Investors Group Athletic Centre to meet this season's reigning CIS champions. It was the middle of a key practice for the Bisons as they prepared to host the daunting Alberta Golden Bears this weekend. But when Joan Chaput, Sharon Martin and Donna Dawson walked in to take some photos, the young athletes paused to meet the women who had walked their path before.

Have horns, will travel

It was a frozen March night in Regina, the night the Bisons women became national volleyball champs, that a small herd of Manitobans thundered into the stands.

On the court, Bisons libero Caleigh Dobie saw those fans -- couldn't miss them, not with how their heads bristled with giant furry hats. There were just five of those, but they sounded an army -- they banged drums, cheered every point, they howled chants.

"That was so cool to have," said Dobie, laughing a little at the memory of the ruckus. "They are the greatest, ever. It's not just having a fan group. They feel like they're almost part of the team."

These are the Big Horns, and they're something a little different. Dobie, in her third year of eligibility, grew up in University of Manitoba stands, cheering on the football teams that her dad, Brian, has coached for 19 years. When she became a Bisons athlete, that perspective shifted. Now, she was looking out from the field of play, and from that vantage, the crowds sometimes looked thin -- an average announced home attendance of 450 in 2012-13, though oftenCa far fewer actually sat in the stands.

Courting a championship

Time to dig deep with the reigning CIS champions. This season, the Free Press is going behind the scenes of the University of Manitoba Bisons women's volleyball team, and their quest to defend their national title. We will follow the unfolding story of what it takes to create elite university athletes, and meet the players and coaches who are writing the latest chapter in Manitoba's storied volleyball history.

Today, we launch the project with a trip down memory lane -- and a look at how the Bisons are preparing now to stay on top of their game.

"WE’RE going to win.”