Quartet of Junior Bisons alums making instant impact for men’s volleyball

This offseason, men’s volleyball head coach Arnd ‘Lupo’ Ludwig boosted his roster with a well-rounded, talented recruiting class. Nicoles Carter transferred over from Winnipeg, while high school standouts Rowan Krahn, Sammy Ludwig, Jordon Heppner and Harrison Ens joined the fold. 
 
All five athletes have made a difference in year one, playing in at least 27 sets. 
 
The quartet of true freshman bring particular intrigue. Their previous history and diverse array of skills (along with the rest of a talented roster) set the Herd up to be a consistent contender in future seasons. 
 
Connecting through volleyball 
Ludwig,a 6’4″ setter, Krahn, a 6’2″ outside hitter and Ens, a 6’4″ middle, all met in grade seven at Westgate Mennonite Collegiate. Their connection expanded through the sport of volleyball. 
 
“We all went to Westgate from separate schools. To be honest, I wouldn’t say I was that close to them in grade seven. I don’t think they liked me in grade seven, I was a little shy, I didn’t say much,” admits Sammy, the 2022 MHSAA Overall Male Athlete of the Year. 
 
“Volleyball was honestly a way for me to get closer to them, because it was something that we were all above average at. Through volleyball, that’s kind of when our friendship started. Once they got to know me more playing volleyball, then we became closer off the court, doing other things together as well.” 
 

Krahn, a former hockey player who’s always been undersized on the court, plays with a fire and intensity that’s unmatched. He makes up for his smaller stature with incredible athleticism, accuracy and six-row stability.
 
His intensity, work ethic and vocal leadership rubs off on those around him, including Sammy. 
 
“One thing I can say specifically about Rowan, is that when we’re on the court, through my career he’s been the one guy since 13U that’s always pushed me to be better. He’s been a really good leader on the court, and someone, when I struggled or am not feeling great, I look to him as an example to follow.”
 
Ens’ game has similarities to former Bisons great Owen Schwartz, who was also 6’4″ but had incredible fundamentals, was rock solid defensively and could place the ball anywhere on the court with confidence. 
 

“I try to be the smartest player I can be, being shorter, so that helps,” he says. “Playing with confidence, especially at this level is a big plus, because you can’t play timid out there. That confidence really helps.”
 
The trio’s long-term friendship, coupled with incredible skill on the court, helped them to an iconic run in their senior year. 
 
Despite being a Triple A-sized school with nine players, Wesgate dominated at the Quad-A level, going 30-0 en route to a provincial title. 
 
“We had very solid fundamentals, because we had Maiya Westwood (Memorial University alum) as our coach since we were young, and (1994-95 national player of the year and Lupo’s wife) Loriann Ludwig, so we started from the base up with how to pass,” noted Krahn. 
 
“Even when we got better at passing, we’re still spending half our practice passing so that in games we can get the ball up perfect to Sammy, and we can run our offence which we know how to do. It all started with the basics, literally.”
 
‘An absolute powerhouse team’
This past summer, the three Westgate alums joined Heppner on the Junior Bisons’ 18U club team. It was perfect harmony for a roster filled with future U SPORTS standouts. 
 
The team dominated at the local level, winning a provincial title in a thriller against WinMan. A ninth-place finish at the Best of the West Tournament was a “wake up call,” providing motivation for a memorable run at nationals. The team went 9-0 and only lost two sets. 
 
“We were just an absolute powerhouse team,” says Krahn. 
 
“In Manitoba, our competition was very minimal. It was us, WinMan and 204 Gold, but we rarely even dropped a set. Then going to the Best of the West, where we’re facing a whole new diversity of teams that can play at our level and are better than us sometimes, we just weren’t prepared to play at our best the whole time. I think that was really important to see, that when we give it our all, we can play with anyone.”
 

Heppner and Ens were part of a loaded middle position that earned plenty of attention. 
 
Ens was the star when the stage was at its brightest. 
 
Calm and composed, he “barely made any mistakes” at nationals, according to Heppner, who played high school volleyball for Steinbach, and is what baseball fans would call a “five tool player.”
 
“I played middle before my varsity season with Steinbach, but during the high school season they put me at left side because I’d get more balls there,” mentioned the 6’5″ standout whose athletic background includes speed swimming, baseball, soccer and basketball.
 
“I’d say currently I need to work on my block. Hitting is definitely my strength, and it always has been. I’ve always been a little bit taller than everyone else, but now in this league I’m sort of in the middle.”
 
‘A really good class’
Ludwig knew early on that he wanted to sign the group of seniors. 
 
Heppner he began recruiting the prior fall, while Krahn and Ludwig were also on the radar. Ens, who was originally going to sign with Winnipeg, was a later addition, following the departure of former All-Rookie Darian Koskie. 
 
“This 18U team that won nationals last year, they were a really good class and I’d known that for two or three years,” noted Ludwig. “It was very early that I wanted these guys. We were looking definitely at character, that fits perfectly in, and then you look at what we needed.” 
 
All four athletes have made an instant impact, bringing an edge to their games that’s been fun to watch. 
 
Sammy’s standout showing came last November against Brandon. The cerebral player had 22 assists, two service aces and six digs in a well-rounded performance. 
 
Ens recorded a career high nine kills and eight assisted blocks against MacEwan in January. He’s tallied 24 total blocks, 40 kills overall, and has a hitting percentage of .326.
 
“[Ens] is a little bit [undersized], but he makes up for it with smart play and long arms,” says Ludwig. He has a pretty high reach. When I looked at him last year, he got some really good blocks on that U18 team. He can read the setter pretty good, he’s a pretty smart player in the middle.”
 
Krahn has been on a tear since January, where 29 of his 41 kills have occurred, including a career-high 13 against MacEwan on the 7th. He flashed his six-row prowess last weekend against Winnipeg, tallying a career high ten digs last Saturday. 
 
“[Krahn] is a very, very good back row player. I’ve known Rowan since he was in grade six or seven because my wife always coached him at Westgate. Every year she said well next year he’s going to be a libero, but then his offensive game also elevated. He’s a very, very smart player,” added Ludwig.
 
“For me at the beginning of last year, I said I’m not sure if he’s tall enough, but then you look at players like Max Brook from Brandon [6’3″, 212 kills last year]. Max for me was a surprise last year and how he could play with fire and energy. When I look at Rowan, he can bring that too.”
 
No rookie has played in more sets than Heppner.
 

A conference All-Rookie candidate, he has 67 kills on the year, including a career-high ten against UBCO on November 4th. He, Ens and second-year Jonah Dueck have all hit above .300 on the year and he added a career-high nine total blocks last Saturday. 
 
“Honestly, I think Lupo has helped me grow a lot. With the speed of the middle, my efficiency has definitely gone up since club,” says Heppner. 
 
“Coming from that club team, all three of us middles had an amazing efficiency. It was rare that we all made a mistake. I didn’t think there was much room to grow coming into uni, but I’ve grown so much already with the speed of my attack and blocking too.”