Providence women’s volleyball prepping for nationals

Providence University College’s women’s volleyball team knows where their season will end, but the path they take to get there is still up in the air.

The Pilots are the hosts of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championships, after the men’s team hosted last year in Niverville.

Head coach Kyle Guenther will lead an experienced team, ready to make some noise at the national level. The host team is granted an automatic berth in nationals, but Providence is aiming to qualify directly by winning the province, for a better seed and more momentum.

Guenther said Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference women’s volleyball has taken a step up this year.

“We’re going to go into nationals battle-tested,” Guenther said after a match Oct. 31.

“All the teams in our league have gotten better this year, and we’re going to have to battle every single time we’re on the court this year.”

The team has a perfect record, with three five set wins. Guenther quipped after a win over St Boniface Oct. 31 the longer games weren’t good for his stress levels.

“We’re going to find our consistency yet, I know we will,” he said, noting the team sometimes struggles during longer rallies.

“Start to finish, our matches have been pretty up and down, just execution-wise. I really appreciate (the players) positivity and energy they bring. We’ve shown that really well the last couple weeks.”

Fans created a great atmosphere on Halloween night, with costumes and loud cheering throughout the match.

“That’s the most engaged our crowd has been in three years,” Guenther said.

“That’s really cool to play in front of that and feel that early season energy.”

A trio of seniors will look to provide impact on the floor, with left side Tyra Peters, setter Amanda Bergen and Libero Maddie Oselies all returning to school in hopes of Canadian glory. With shorter college programs, getting seniors back for a fourth year is a big boost for the team.

Peters and Bergen have been the key to Providence’s attack for multiple years, with Peters winning MCAC player of the year for the past three seasons. The duo are both from Bothwell and played high school at Steinbach Regional Secondary School.

Providence’s men’s team has a bit of a new look this year. Three-year starter Noah Boshmann has graduated and moved on, with reigning MCAC men’s player of the year Sebastian Verdaguer moving to the USports level with the University of Winnipeg for his remaining years of college eligibility.

After a 2-0 start they dropped their first game of the season to St Boniface Oct. 31 3-2. It was the first time in a few years both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams both played five-set matches during a home game night.

U of W looking strong

The Wesmen are looking to repeat as CanadaWest Champions in men’s volleyball this year, with plenty of connections from the region.

“People know us a little bit more. We had a couple of guys surprise the league last year — won’t be a surprise anymore,” head coach Chris Voth said in an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press.

“So it’s going to be tough. Teams will be better prepared to play against us, and now we have a target on our back.”

Sophomore and 2024 rookie of the year in Linden’s Easton Dick is joined by St Adolphe’s Maxime Vermette, who played his high school volleyball at Gabrielle-Roy. Senior Paxton Koop, who is from Steinbach, is a leader on a team looking for championships this season.

Koop said the experience from last season’s run could be the key to the team’s success.

“I think the sky’s the limit for our group this year,” he said.

“It’s on us all to learn from those guys from the last year and kind of make this journey our own.”

With files from Joshua Frey-Sam