Armbruster making his mark for Providence

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This article was published 17/11/2023 (588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While it was a rough start for Paul Armbruster’s Providence Pilots coaching career, the new men’s volleyball head coach found the win column for the first time after dropping two games in the regular season’s opening weekend.

The reigning Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference champions lost their first two games of the season to CMU, before sweeping a weekend series against Assiniboine Community College at home, not dropping a set in a pair of 3-0 victories.

“We’re trying to have a daily focus,” Armbruster said after a win on Remembrance Day.

“We can’t control what’s going on in February and March, we can control what’s going happened on Nov. 11. As much as that’s an athletic catchphrase, I believe that’s the path to success.”

Armbruster has already integrated himself into the volleyball community in the region, showing up to scout the varsity Zone 13 South AAA high school finals at Steinbach Christian School Nov. 13.

The two victories over ACC marked the first non-exhibition wins for Armbruster as program head coach. He said the Providence job is his first time coaching full-time, after previous part-time gigs in Alberta.

“The team has been great in terms of coachability,” Armbruster said, noting he loved being able to coach volleyball full-time.

“Some of our leaders have done an awesome job in creating a great culture. I think there’s a really good sense of brotherhood, and the guys are really enjoying each other and training.”

Armbruster said he expects the team to improve quickly throughout the beginning stages of the season, noting the Providence lineup had three first-time starters in the opening weekend.

Despite those changes, volleyball fans will see a familiar face picking up points for the Pilots, as Noah Boschmann looks to improve on a spectacular rookie season. The Grunthal native was named conference player of the year last year, and looks to be even better in his sophomore campaign.

“(Boschmann) has been a beast offensively for us, and I think there’s more opportunity for him to find higher heights,” Armbruster said.

“I really like his demeanour. Pressure doesn’t get to him that much. He enjoys those moments. He wants the set at 23-23, and it can be a long time to try and teach that.”

Boschmann is the most business-like player on the court, barely even flashing a smile after most of his spectacular kills. He led the team in kills on Nov. 11.

Another key performance on Nov. 11 came from Lowe Farm’s Cole Doell. The rookie opposite hitter thrived after Avery Bergmann left the match the night before due to an injury.

A rematch with CMU is set for Nov. 18 in Niverville.