VB: REG outside, WPG libero prove spots atop CW ranks

CALGARY – Regina’s Jessica Lerminiaux and Winnipeg’s Darian Picklyk were named the Canada West Volleyball Players of the Week by the conference on Tuesday.

Lerminiaux was deadly at the net at a time her team needed it the most. Her lethal performance helped the Cougars secure their spot in the postseason, despite matching up against the higher-ranked Brandon Bobcats.

The fourth-year outside hitter powered down 24 kills Friday, swinging at a rate of .316 per cent while hitting the deck for 10 digs in the Cougars’ 3-1 road win. The agile veteran posted 24.5 points to rout the Eastern division’s second-best team.

She had a similarly strong outing Saturday, laying down 20 kills, a service ace, four block assists, eight digs and 23 points before falling to the Bobcats 3-1 in the rematch.

Lerminiaux’s dominance at the net has been a consistent theme this season: the Regina, SK product leads the conference in kills per set at 4.27.

She’ll now lead her Cougars into the Canada West playoffs, which start Thursday with round robin action. Regina falls into Pool B hosted by the University of Alberta. The team’s first game goes Thursday at 6 p.m. against the host Pandas. They’ll then play British Columba Friday at 1 p.m. and Winnipeg on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Game log:
Feb. 25: 24 kills, .316 K%, 1 BA, 10 digs, 24.5 points in 3-1 W at BDN
Feb. 26: 20 kills, .275 K%, 1 SA, 4 BA, 8 digs, 23 points in 3-1 L at BDN

Meanwhile, a fourth-year libero was proving why he rules the conference’s most gruelling stat. Winnipeg’s Darian Picklyk worked quickly behind the scenes of exciting spikes and high-flying blocks, hitting the floor for the digs his team has become accustomed to.

Picklyk posted 13 of them in his team’s 3-1 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies Friday night before helping his team gain back its momentum Saturday, the final game before the CW Playoffs. He hit the hardcourt for 15 digs as the Wesmen flipped the script to earn a 3-1 win.

The Birds Hill, MB product finished the season as Canada West’s leader in digs (209) and digs per set (3.12). He soared above the next closest competitor in both those categories by 47 and 1.02 respectively.

Picklyk and the Wesmen now head into the playoffs as the number one seed in the eastern division. They’ll host Pool C starting Thursday. The team’s match-up that day is a familiar one: they face off against Manitoba at 6 p.m. They are then set to square up with UBCO Friday at 6 p.m. and Calgary at 6 p.m.

Game log:
Feb. 25: 13 digs in 3-1 L at SSK
Feb. 26: 15 digs in 3-1 W at SSK