Watch above: The Saskatchewan Huskies are confident they’ll stack up well against the best volleyball teams in the country but the team wants to punch their ticket to the CIS final being held in Saskatoon.
SASKATOON – A golden opportunity has been served directly to the doorstep of the Huskies men’s volleyball team.
Saskatchewan will host the CIS championship tournament this season, meaning the Dogs will receive an automatic berth into nationals. But things haven’t exactly gone according to plan so far for the squad.
The Huskies stumbled out of the gate losing five of their first six games. However after sweeping the then seventh ranked Calgary Dinos last weekend, the team is back on track.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of it, and then some injuries threw a wrench into everything,” said head coach Brian Gavlas when referring to his team’s early season struggles.
“We’re pretty close, and I think we’re capable of competing with anybody in the country.”
Gavlas admits that the Huskies had a tough time finding their identity in the first few weeks of the season. Part of the reason why stems from Saskatchewan graduating two key players over the off-season.
Braden McLean and Bryan Fraser were not only two of the most talented players on Saskatchewan’s roster a year ago, but they were also both leaders on and off the court.
“I think us as a younger group of guys has learned from them,” said fourth year Huskie Jordan Nowakowski.
“(We) learned what a good work ethic is, learning what working hard looks like, and the results are paying off.”
As hosts of the CIS championship tournament, Saskatchewan has already secured a spot at nationals. But the Huskies are still approaching this season the same way they would any other campaign.
The Dogs want to punch their ticket to finals the hard way, which means winning the Canada West title.
“We kind of dug a hole for ourselves here with our start. And we need to get out of it and get into that playoff picture,” says Gavlas. “And if we can get into that playoff picture, I like our chance of getting through the front door.”
The 3-5 Huskies will hit the road this weekend where they’ll have a great chance to make up some ground in the standings against the 0-10 UBC Okanagan Heat.
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