MVB: Mortensen’s Journey to the Canada West Record Book

Dylan Mortensen would end his last Canada West regular season by breaking two all-time records. On Saturday against the Winnipeg Wesmen, Mortensen would become the Canada West record holder in career kills with 1490, and the career points leader with 1749.5 career points. 

Mortensen has been one of the most dominating volleyball players the Canada West conference has ever seen. Mortensen came straight to the Saskatchewan Huskies out of Swift Current Comprehensive for the 2016-17 season and since then, he has been making his presence felt on the court. 
 
While Mortensen red shirted his first season with the Huskies, he has since been one of the most dynamic players in university volleyball. His first year on the court saw Mortensen pick up the Canada West and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year awards. In 2019, Mortensen was a Canada West Second Team All-Star, represented Canada at the 2019 FISU Summer World University Games, and was a member of the Volleyball Canada National B Team. In 2020 Mortensen continued to excel, being named to the Canadian Men’s National Volleyball Excellence Program and the Canadian National Volleyball Next Gen team. Finally in 2022, after the COVID-19 canceled season, Mortensen once again was named a Canada West Second Team All-Star and a member of the Canadian National Next Gen team.
 
Not only is Mortensen an unbelievable volleyball player, but he is also does well in the classroom. He is a five-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian, six-time Huskie Athletics First Team All-Academic, and a six-time member of the Edward’s School of Business Dean’s List.
 
Mortensen racked up 299 kills as a rookie in 2017, while accumulating 342.5 points. In 2018, he improved those numbers, totaling 304 kills and 357 points. 2019 saw Mortensen held to just 48 sets, but he still managed to put up 174 kills and 206 points. He was driven to succeed after the COVID-19 canceled season, picking up 380 kills and 449.5 points in the 2021-22 season. In his fifth and final year of eligibility, he turned out his best performance to date, putting up 410 kills and 486.5 points.
 
Looking back on his journey to becoming one of the best volleyball players in Canada West and Huskie history, Mortensen knew Saskatchewan was always one of his top choices. “I chose USask for several reasons. My dad went to the University of Saskatchewan, whereas my mom went to the University of Regina, so I really knew it was going to be between the two. In the end, the Huskie volleyball program was far superior to that of Regina, which tipped the scales in USask’s direction. Both of my parents work in business-related fields, which helped me decide to apply to the Edwards School of Business. I had some club volleyball teammates who were good friends of mine that decided to join the Huskie program as well. One of them was Connor Murray who I had never beaten in a high school game in any sport, so I figured if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.?” 
 
When thinking about his time with the Huskies, a trip to Japan in 2016 stands out in his mind. “My greatest memory playing for the Huskies throughout my career was our pre-season trip to Japan in August 2016. At that point, I was the youngest player on the team and hadn’t had much of an opportunity to get to know many of my teammates. Being thrown into that atmosphere allowed me to bond with my teammates which strengthened our team’s chemistry for years to come. It was an amazing experience that I hope every member of the team after me gets to enjoy opportunities like that.”
 
The 2022-23 season’s matchup between perennial contenders, the Trinity Western University Spartans, is a major highlight of his career. “My greatest memory this season so far was sweeping the Trinity Western Spartans in the beginning of the second half of the season. At the beginning of this season, Trinity Western was the only team I had never beaten in my career, which is when I made it a goal of mine to do so. Regardless of lineups and players on the floor, it felt great. Our crowd was electric and fueled the team to clutch performances in each fifth set victory.”
 
Mortensen will look to make the next jump in his volleyball career this summer. “The next chapter in my volleyball career is to play a season professionally in Europe. Talking with numerous teammates and coaches, each of them say they were happy to have done so and regardless of the outcome they enjoyed the experience. I am hoping to have many friends and family visit over that season who would enjoy having someone to guide them, wherever I end up. Bonus points if Levi Olson myself end up on the same team.”
 
Becoming the all-time Canada West leader in kills and points means the world to Mortensen. “To be up there with some amazing volleyball players like Brad Gunter & Tyler Schmidt is humbling. I was fortunate enough to play against Tyler during the early years of my career, and I saw first-hand how dominant of a player he was. To have my name beside someone like that is a great feeling. I am proud to have been supported by the Huskie Men’s Volleyball team throughout my years, as they’ve presented me with opportunities that I don’t think many other programs would have. I am extremely grateful to have been able to play with some elite setters in CJ Gavlas, Troy Wiebe, Jake Rapin, Mark Armstrong, & Noah Opseth over my career that have trusted me to get the points our team needed. This season, I am especially grateful to play with such a strong serve receiving lineup, which is headed by the best libero in the league in Ethan Smith. I hope I was able to make a positive impact on my teammates and helped them realize that hitting the bench-press in your red shirt season pays dividends. It is a huge honor to have the first place in kills and points and I hope one day, another Huskie volleyball athlete beats both of these records!”
 
Mortensen knows that Saskatchewan will always have a special place in his heart after his time here is over. “The grit of the Huskie Men’s Volleyball team it what makes it special to me. On paper, we have never been the most physically or technically dominant team on the court. The program has also been through so much adversity throughout my tenure that would see many players lose motivation and their faith in the program. The grit and character this team has shown throughout these years is why we continue to look forward to getting better every chance we get. With the loss of the Regina Cougars men’s program, I think it’s important for us to perform at a high level to show the next generation that there can and should be elite volleyball played in our province.”
 
Huskies Coach Sean McKay has been impressed with Mortensen since he got here. “I first met Dylan Mortensen in a McDonald’s in Swift Current, shortly after I got the job. And, essentially when I first met him, I thought, you know, how could a guy with such a strong reputation on the court, be so humble. So, that was kind of my first impression and that impression still stands to this day.”
 
McKay has seen Mortensen’s offensive toolbox grow over the years. “I would say the variability in his shot making. Finding different ways to score. You know, he used to be a pretty pure line hitter. Now he’s throwing a ton of speed using the block a bunch, as well as adjusting a lot better to sets that might not be in the exact location he was expecting. He’s putting himself in the position to score much more often and finding different ways to do it.”
 
McKay thinks Mortensen can take his game to another level which will leave opponents shaking in their boots. “Continuing to work on adjusting to sets and finding ways to score but doing it with a bit more velocity. The higher level you get, the harder it is to score on those defenders. Continuing to add velocity to his attacks while still being just as crafty as he is right now.”
 
Mortensen is wanting to keep his focus on the Huskies upcoming playoff run. “Our focus heading into playoffs is to win the first set of our first playoff game, which we can do after developing a good game plan. It’s easy for athletes to look ahead into the near future, just look at the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets in recent history. Obviously, our goal is to go to nationals, but we want to get past that first round and that takes priority right now.”
 
Mortensen does think the team is finding a groove at the perfect time. “The team is looking for great heading into playoffs. We are really finding our groove as a serve receiving team, which makes everything go smoother. We side out at a great rate, and we’ve got guys all over the court that can put the ball away. Our middles have improved so much over the season it’s been a treat to see them be massive contributors on a top ranked U SPORTS team. We need to improve our point scoring a bit and we’ve got the servers who can do that.”
 
The Saskatchewan Huskies wrapped up the regular season in fourth place in Canada West. The Huskies will be playing UBC in the first round of the Canada West playoffs. The best of three series will kick off Friday night at 7:00 PM at the PAC. Saturday’s game set for 7:00 PM and Sunday’s matchup will be 2:00 PM if necessary. Tickets are available at HuskieTickets.com.