I fell off the face of the virtual world once again. I reconnected with blogging during the Pan Am Cup, but since it finished I have struggled to get back to the blog. I will try to be better at blogging through this year. I enjoy the different experiences each year brings and to be able to share it with people makes it even more enjoyable.
WHO WE ARE,
Our team is back in full swing and working hard at all aspects of being a BU Bobcats. We have 16 players on this years team. This is the largest number we have had. 16 players make for strong competitive games in practice. This number also allows us to break down the games its different parts on two courts.
THE PLAYERS
We have 2 setters, Mary Thomson and transfer Hope Schneider. Mary and Hope have played together since they were 14, they are very comfortable around each other. They have a strong relationship which allows them to feel that they are a big part in each other's success.
This year we have 5 middles. This is a big change from last year's only 3 middles, you never get a break mentality. This is the most we have had in Meaghan Robertson's five years. Jodie Baker our 3rd year middle came back to camp ready to claim a starting spot. She really committed to fitness over the summer and has returned in much better shape. This is making her faster and higher than she was last year. This really showed in our first exhibition matches in Edmonton. Jodie was our most efficient attacker. This year we added a 2nd year transfer from South Dakota State, Courtney Roberts. Courtney is a local Brandon athlete, she will be pushing for playing time and has a very positive attitude. Courtney's first CIS action was against perennial powerhouse UBC. Courtney held her own and gained some valuable confidence from that. We added two freshman from Winnipeg. Sara Barker is. 6'2" athlete with a lot of potential. She is working hard and asking lots of questions. We also added Kayla Solomon, she is also from Winnipeg. Kayla is our first music student ever. On our recent road trip to Edmonton we told everyone to bring homework, Kayla brought her trumpet.
We have 6 outsides this year. This is our most experienced group as we only added one player to this group. Nikki Majewski, Winnipeg, is a very dynamic athlete. She was selected as Manitoba Volleyballs player of the year. She has been a great teammate and is enjoying everything about school. When we talk about classes, Nikki is so excited about everyone of them. Her passion is contagious. Regan Dahl has also had a strong preseason. She is in her second year and returned is great shape. With a small injury to Vaovai early in training camp Regan was able to play some big minutes in the Edmonton tournament. Regan and Nikki both showed that they are ready to play at this level.
We returned all of our outsides from last year's team. These three were a big reason why we were able to be ranked 2 in Canada for 9 weeks. All three of them, Tori Dakin, Shanlee McLennan and Vaovai Aiono all returned hungry to improve on last year. It is fun to watch them train and compete with and against each other.
We also have 3 Liberos or defensive specialists. Donata Huebert is back for her third year. She is coming off a highly decorated year as she was selected Libero of the Year for CIS as well as First Team All - Canadian. We have asked Donata to help mentor our younger athletes. Donata's experience and work ethic is one we hope they all mimic. We have a first year libs, Jamie Campbell. Jamie is another local athlete coming from Kevin Neufeld's volleyball factory. Jamie is incredibly hard working and has a passion for the game. We also have 3rd year specialist Gillian Leech. Gilly is our utility player, she will play left side if we need her. She is also quite confident in being a serving-defensive substitute as well as the Libero. Gilly has been a tremendous teammate and a positive example to the first year players. In Edmonton, Gilly played all those and was successful in all. Margy Lafaele our other NZ girl is assisting this year as a practice player.
The start has been fun, but September is always the honeymoon phase. It will be important to remember this excitement as the season progresses...
