Bisons’ Surinx repeats as Canada West’s top women’s volleyball player

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/03/2025 (533 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Raya Surinx was once again the engine of a well-oiled Manitoba Bisons machine that dominated Canada West women’s volleyball during the regular season.

Once again, she has been recognized for it.

Surinx was named the Canada West women’s volleyball Player of the Year for the second year in a row on Thursday. It’s the first time a player from Manitoba has won the award in consecutive seasons.

Despite missing the first two games of the season, the third-year left side led the country in kills (310) and kills per set (4.84), and was third in service aces per set (0.67) while powering the Bisons to a 16-4 record.

“I’m so proud of Raya for taking time early in the season for herself after a long summer of training with the NextGen National Team. Once Raya came back to our team, she found a higher gear in 2024-25,” said Bisons head coach Ken Bentley.

Surinx was in a better condition to accept this year’s honour. This time last year, she was rehabbing an ankle sprain that kept her out of the conference playoffs.

This time around, she’s at full health and able to help Manitoba try to finish what it started by capturing a second consecutive Canada West title.

The Bisons open Final Four weekend against the Alberta Pandas in Edmonton on Friday (7 p.m. CT). A win sends them to the gold medal game against UBC or Saskatchewan on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT, while a loss puts them in the bronze medal game at 6 p.m. CT.

Surinx wasn’t the only one to receive some hardware.

Julia Arnold was named Libero of the Year after leading the conference with 288 digs and 3.89 diggs per set. It’s the first time a player from Manitoba has won the award.

“She has earned every dig through her passion for volleyball and team,” Bentley said of Arnold, whose 1,354 regular-season digs and 1,726 career digs are both school records in the rally scoring era. “Julia has set a new standard for our program as she wraps up her career with the Bisons.”

Across town, the Winnipeg Wesmen also had plenty to celebrate as first-year middle Easton Dick was named Canada West Rookie of the Year for men’s volleyball, while Chris Voth was named Coach of the Year.

Dick broke out this season after redshirting last year, registering 93 kills while stepping up defensively with 52 total blocks and a team-leading 12 solos, which ranked sixth in the conference and the most among first-year players.

“We are incredibly proud of how Easton stepped up this year,” Voth said. “After redshirting the previous season, he was thrust into a key role on the team and has excelled.”

Meanwhile, Voth took over for legendary Winnipeg coach Larry McKay and led the program to its best record in nearly 30 years and its first No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs. The Wesmen ranked fourth in kills per set (12.14), fourth in attack percentage (.280) and fourth in digs per set (9.50) this season.

“In games, his analysis and management are exceptional, but I think his gifts for strategy and preparation that set him apart,” said Wesmen athletic director Cara Isaak.

“The team culture he’s been able to implement in just over six months is impressive — including focuses on mental preparation, adaptability, and resilience that usually take years to develop. His coaching philosophy really resonates with the team, and he’s been able to earn a lot of trust in a short amount of time. We’re pretty lucky that he’s leading this program…”

The Wesmen are in the hunt for their own conference title and will look to do so with a home-court advantage this weekend.

Winnipeg hosts Saskatchewan in Friday’s semifinal at Duckworth Centre (5 p.m.). The winner will face Alberta or UBC in the gold medal match on Saturday (7 p.m.), while the loser plays for bronze at 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, Nora Collins, a forward with the U of M Bisons women’s hockey team, was named the recipient of the Canwest award for sportsmanship and athletic ability.

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca