CANADA WEST – A new season of Canada West women’s volleyball gets served up this Friday, and it’s anyone’s guess as to which team is going to emerge on top in early March.
CW coaches were split in what proved to be one of the closest pre-season coaches polls in recent memory. Five teams received first place votes, including University of the Fraser Valley, Alberta, UBC, Manitoba and Trinity Western.
The UFV Cascades narrowly took top spot, garnering four first-place votes. The Cascades are looking to take another step forward after a quarterfinal appearance last season and will be led by the reigning CW and U SPORTS women’s volleyball player of the year in outside hitter Gabrielle Attieh.
Attieh led the nation in kills and points last season, while becoming only the fifth player in CW history to eclipse the 400 kill mark in a single season. A threat on both offence and defence, the Surrey, B.C. product also finished seventh in the conference in digs.
Placing second in the poll were the Manitoba Bisons, who return their entire roster and will be led by hometown product Raya Surinx. Last year’s U SPORTS Rookie of the Year played a massive role in helping the Bisons advance to nationals last season for the first time since 2014.
Fifth-year libero Kacey Jost will lead the defending national champion UBC Thunderbirds into battle, as they ranked third in the coaches poll and will look to recreate their magical U SPORTS title run. The pillar of UBC’s defence, Jost was named Canada West Libero of the Year for 2022-23, the first time in eight years the award was handed out and the first Thunderbird to win since Claire Hanna in 2010. Jost amassed 337 total digs on the season for an average of 4.01 per set.
A young Alberta Pandas side finished fourth in the poll and will feature several first-year student-athletes guided by new head coach Carolyn O’Dwyer. A large workload will fall to the Panda’s veterans, especially fifth year outside Lauryn Tremblay. The second team CW All-Star finished third in the conference with 333 kills and 3.7 kills per set a year ago and will once again see a healthy dose of attempts for the Pandas this season.
Defending CW champion Trinity Western rounded out the top five. The Spartans went an impressive 22-2 last season before going 5-0 in the Canada West playoffs to capture the conference crown. The Spartans will be led by third year middle Kaylee Plouffe.
Scouting Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan Huskies find themselves ranked tenth overall in the Canada West Pre-Season Coaches Poll. Huskie Head Coach Mark Dodds breaks down his key performers and additions to the 2023-24 roster.
Key Performer: Mandi Fraser – Middle
The fifth year from Saskatoon, SK has been a key component to the Huskies since she joined the team. She ended the 2022-23 season with 195 kills, 79 blocks, and a hitting percentage of 0.318. She’s an all-around athlete, able to be a force on both offence and defence.
“Mandi Fraser is back with the Huskies for her final year and looks to continue her dominance in the middle. Mandi’s experience and ability at the net will be extremely valuable this season as she looks to end her career leading our team back to the playoffs.”
Key Additions: Keely Anderson – Outside Hitter, Sophia Magus – Setter
The Huskie coaching staff spent some time in Manitoba in the off season, reviewing game film and opening up opportunities for transfers like Keely Anderson.
“Keely comes back to Saskatchewan after three years in Brandon where she developed into a top outside attacker. I see Keely being one of our offensive leaders and continuing her dominance from the service line.”
They also spent some time looking at the Team Canada rosters and evaluating their national team member opportunities, which is where they found Sophia Magus.
“Sophia joins us after a few years in the national team pipeline, culminating with the U19 World Championship this past summer. She is also a graduate of our Huskie Volleyball Club, where she helped her U18 team to a fifth place finish at nationals in 2023. Sophia will bring her experience and volleyball IQ to help our team be successful for years to come.”
2023-24 CW WVB PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
Team – Points (First-place votes)
- Fraser Valley Cascades – 153 (4)
- Manitoba Bisons – 143 (3)
- UBC Thunderbirds – 141 (3)
- Alberta Pandas – 137 (3)
- Trinity Western Spartans – 116 (1)
- UBCO Heat – 112
- Calgary Dinos – 103
- Thompson Rivers WolfPack – 79
- Mount Royal Cougars – 78
- Saskatchewan Huskies – 74
- Winnipeg Wesmen – 59
- MacEwan Griffins – 39
- Regina Cougars – 27
- Brandon Bobcats – 13