Raya Surinx and Jonam Kazadi are Boston Pizza Athletes of the Week

Helping their teams go a combined 4-0 over the weekend, Raya Surinx and Jonam Kazadi are Boston Pizza Athletes of the Week. 

On the court, second-year women’s volleyball left side Raya Surinx continued to flex her versatility. On Friday, she was unstoppable on the attack, recording a team-high 18 kills while hitting .412 along with an ace, two digs, a solo block and four assisted blocks. Manitoba swept Mount Royal in three. 

On Saturday, MRU contained Surinx on the attack, but she continued to find other ways to contribute. She added 16 kills, but her impact was felt to an emormous degree at the service line, where she tied her career high with eight aces, four of which came in the first set. Her total was tied for the fifth-most in a single game in conference history. 

Surinx also had ten digs and an assisted block on Saturday, as the No. 9 nationally ranked Bisons came from behind to sweep MRU 3-2, improving to 6-2 on the year. Surinx had the key kill in the fifth, smashing a c-ball out of system while off-balance to give her side a 4-3 lead. They did not trail the rest of the way. 

After eight games, Surinx leads Canada West with 122 kills and 4.52 kills per set. She is also fourth in aces, with 17. 

The men’s basketball team also flexed their muscles, stepping back into the national rankings at No. 10 after sweeping MRU in Calgary to improve to 4-2. Forward Jonam Kazadi was a big reason for their success, recording a combined 31 points. 

It’s the second time in his Bisons career that Kazadi has tallied double figures in two straight games, the first also occuring against the Cougars in 2022-23. 

On Friday, Kazadi had ten points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal as the Herd broke a 39-39 hallftime tie wide open in the second half, cruising to a 81-60 win. The big man shot five-of-ten from the field, one-upping himself the next night with the best shooting performance of his career. 

Kazadi was a perfect ten-for-ten from the field in Saturday’s 85-77 win, getting it done all night inside the paint. He used his 6’7″, 240-pound frame to muscle for inside positioning, and also got it done on a few jump shots. 

Kazadi’s statement play came with the score 41-28 in the second. He stole the ball away at the opposing three-point line and went coast-to-coast with his trademark slam.