MVB: Setter Jack Mandryk reaches top ten in conference history in assists in 3-0 Manitoba win over UFV

Moments after a three-set sweep of Fraser Valley, which pushed Manitoba into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Canada West conference at 9-13 with one weekend to go, setter Jack Mandryk was flooded with support from his parents and current and former teammates.
 
He just finished playing in the final regular season home game of his Bisons career, one that saw him enter the top ten all-time in Canada West history, with 2,794 assists. 
 
Mandryk entered the season just outside the top 20, boosting his numbers with over 600 assists this year, the third time in four seasons he’s accomplished the feat. 
 
But before he had even a second to think about his total or his time at UM, he had countless people around him, giving him hugs and asking for a picture. 
 
Later, when he went to the locker room area for a post-game interview, he was bombarded by his teammates, who doused him in water, roaring with laughter and happiness for their captain. 
 
The pandemonium that erupted around Mandryk after the game is a textbook example of how much he’s loved and supported. A team-first student-athlete, Mandryk is as humble as they come, never pointing to himself even when making seemingly impossible plays look effortless. 
 
On a roster with 12 players in their first or second year of eligibility, he was a rock, a steady voice in the locker room alongside the likes of fellow seniors Brendan Warren and Mathieu Lavoie, but he never made it about himself. 
 
In fitting fashion, he directed the attention to his teammates when he discussed the honour of cracking the top ten all-time in assists. 
 
“Top ten is cool. It’s very similar to top 20, where it makes me think of everyone I played with and everyone I’ve been coached by,” he said, visibly emotional. “Throughout my career, I got to be a part of this group with so many people, and it’s easy to be consistent when you have people like this.”
 
When Mandryk reached the top 20, it was a cool feat. But the top ten hit different. Not because of the number itself, but because of how it happened. 
 
Up 21-16 in the third set, he timed a pass perfectly to rookie middle Harrison Ens, who smashed down Mandryk’s 2,794^th assist.
 
It was a full-circle moment. The veteran dishing it off to the true freshman, one of four to make instant impacts at the university level. 
 
Despite being much older than most of the roster, Mandryk learned valuable lessons from his teammates. They helped remind him about the joy in playing volleyball. In being around your friends, not worrying about the grind or the end goal, but simply living in the present moment with your brothers. 
 
And for that, he’ll be eternally grateful. 
 
“This group really taught me how to love the game again in my last year, and I really mean that. These young guys are so full of piss and vinegar, they want to come in every day and they love the sport. I owe them a lot,” noted Mandryk, holding back tears. 
 
“I’m going to miss them so much. Just as a person, getting to be a part of this group of people, I’m going to miss them so much. They made it really tough to go.”
 
Manitoba still has plenty to play for. They face a tough test on the road in the Calgary to end the regular season, with the Dinos just two points ahead of them at press time. That’s not lost on Mandryk, who’ll add to his incredible totals in the last two games of regulation play. 
 
He isn’t thinking about anything after that. The focus is on making the playoffs, but when asked what he wants his legacy to be, the Interlake native kept things on brand.  
 
“He loved the game, he loved the guys. That’s all I really care about.”