Mutch excelling in leadership role in final year with ‘Pack

KAMLOOPS – Erin Mutch is the consummate team player.
 
The product of Victoria has done it all for the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women’s volleyball team. From starting as a rookie, to being a utility player, to taking over as a main attacking option, to becoming a leader both on and off the court, Mutch is willing to do whatever necessary for the ‘Pack.
 
“I’m a very competitive person, my motivation for playing sport is self-growth and self-progression,” said Mutch. “The games where we play well as a group or games where I apply something new that I’ve learned is when I feel fulfilled.”
 
Mutch joined the ‘Pack in 2018 after an outstanding high school career that saw her named a Provincial All-Star five times and capture a trio of B.C. Provincial Championships. Not overwhelmed by the university level, she was a key contributor and started multiple matches for a WolfPack squad that won a Canada West playoff game for the first time in program history.
 
For the 2019-20 season Mutch’s role shifted. While it would have been easy to become frustrated with a smaller role on the court, Mutch adapted her game to what the team needed most and helped TRU put together the best season in program history.
 
“My second year I was more of the Swiss Army knife player off the bench,” said Mutch. “I recognized that there were a lot of veterans that year who very much deserved to play, so I was grateful to do whatever it was that I needed to do.”
 
TRU went 16-8 in the regular season that year, won a Canada West quarter-final series and came just one game away from punching their ticket to the national championship.
 
After the 2020-21 year was cancelled due to the impacts of COVID-19, Mutch once again transformed her game for the 2021-22 season. Being one of just five players on the roster that had played in a Canada West game before, Mutch became a focal point of the WolfPack offence and finished the year with over 2.10 kills-per-set. Despite missing big chunks of the season due to injury, she transitioned into taking on a leadership role both on and off the court.
 
“Going into that year I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I’m very much a quiet person at heart – I love to celebrate, don’t get me wrong – but talking and all the little things off the court leadership-wise was a little more difficult for me to grasp,” said Mutch. “I wasn’t sure going into that year how it was going to go, but once we started practicing and playing our first few games it sort of just came naturally to me and the leadership role is one that I feel I slid into quite naturally.”
 
Graduating with a degree in Psychology at the end of the year, Mutch continues to lead the way for the ‘Pack in what will be her final season with TRU. Through the opening eight games of the year Mutch has already set a new career-high with 82 kills and has helped her team to a record of 4-4. That mark includes a victory over the UBC Okanagan Heat, the No. 9 ranked team in the nation.
 
“This year I think we’ve started off with a bang, I think we are doing exceptionally well and even matches that we don’t come out with the win, we are still getting better and better each weekend which is great to see,” said Mutch. “It’s hard to quantify but there is just this little fire in our bellies.”
 
Mutch and the WolfPack continue their Canada West campaign with a pair of games at home this coming weekend. They will host the Saskatchewan Huskies at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday inside the TCC.