Wesmen rookie setter already seasoned veteran

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This article was published 28/10/2010 (5822 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

University of Winnipeg Wesmen starting setter Brittany Habing is no raw rookie.

Habing, 18, will lead the Wesmen women when they open the Canada West volleyball season Saturday at the U of W Duckworth Centre at 6 p.m. against the University of Manitoba Bisons. The men’s match follows at 7:30 p.m.

Habing has already won three national club championships, claimed gold at the 2009 Canada Summer Games and represented Canada at the NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean) junior women’s championship last July in Mexico.

“Brittany has a really strong leadership personality. Before she even hit the floor, when she said she was coming, the team stood taller,” said Diane Scott, the former Team Canada player in her 16th season as Wesmen head coach. Scott said Habing is both a leader and a gifted athlete, tremendous attributes to have in place at her young age.

“This team is awesome, they have fun together, they work hard and they like being challenged,” Scott said.

Habing, a River East graduate who travelled last year twice a week from Winnipeg to Brandon to play for the Tri-Star Storm club team, said she knows it is a unique situation to be a first-year starter at the university level.

“I’m really happy and lucky for that (starting) situation so I’m going to take full advantage of it and do the best that I can for the Wesmen,” Habing said. “I’m hoping that having that experience behind me will help me out in terms of confidence, with what I need to do on our side of the court and with reading the other side of the court too.”

The Wesmen (7-13 last year) return national rookie of the year Sonia Rossy and fourth-year middles Lauren Sears and Alix Krahn.

The U of M Bisons men have a new setter as well with Chris Komishon coming off the practice roster to take over leading the offence. Coach Garth Pischke, a two-time Olympian who is in his 30th season coaching the Bisons, has the core group of starters back in left-sides Ryan Munt and Chris Voth and right-side Dane Pischke.

“We finished 9-9 last year and our goal is to definitely exceed that, get in the playoffs and make a run there,” said Munt, the team’s most veteran player in his fourth year. “Chris, he was a red-shirt last year, and he’s been doing a great job already, taking the offence and the team under his wing and running the show out there.”

Head coach Larry McKay’s Wesmen men’s team (11-7 last year) will field a young squad with an influx of new players, with fifth-year setter Dan Lother and fourth-year outside Marc Ross as the team’s most veteran players. Middle Justin Duff is moving on to train full-time with the national team in Gatineau, Que. National junior team member Matthew Schriemer, a second-year opposite, is expected to be a key member of the offence.

The Bisons women’s team, under head coach Ken Bentley, in his 25th year leading the program, has its sights set on improving on last year’s national silver-medal finish.

The Bisons (15-5 last season) are a veteran team which is returning all starters, including setter Sam Loewen, right-side Ashley Voth and middle Tricia Mayba, all of who are national team members. Back as well are left-sides Kate Wasyliw and Kristi Hunter, middle Amy (Penner) Toews and libero Nicole Hall.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca