A stunning exit from Canada West playoffs back in March is providing fuel for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s volleyball team as the calendar flips to a new season.
Players and coaches have been fine-tuning their processes in the week leading to the 2022-23 volleyball season, aiming to avoid a similar upset.
“Last season ended off on a bit of a short string,” said Huskies fourth-year setter Averie Allard. “But I think since that game actually, we’ve been putting in work day in and day out.”
The Huskies are coming off their best regular season performance in decades, going 14-2 over the course of Canada West play, which set the team up with the top seed heading into the opening round of playoffs.
Losses to the UBC Okanagan Heat and Mount Royal Cougars quickly dashed those dreams of a deep playoff run, however, something that’s given the women’s team plenty to think about over the course of the off-season.
“That playoff weekend last year hopefully sling-shots us into this year with a little better mindset, a little better understanding of what it takes to get there,” said Huskies women’s team head coach Mark Dodds.
If the Huskies are to return to the top of the conference standings, they will need to do so by committee.
As they’ll be without star outside hitter Emily Koshinsky for the first time since 2016, as the school’s all-time record holder for career kills graduated from the program last winter.
“I think everyone is going to put that one percent extra in just making sure that it’s almost seamless in her transition out of here, unfortunately,” said Allard.
The Huskies women enter the season as the eighth-ranked team in Canada West, earning 88 points in the pre-season coaches poll.
As for the Huskies men’s program, they’re aiming to build on their first playoff victory since 2016, which came over the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades to advance to the Canada West’s top six.
That playoff victory earned plenty of confidence for the fifth-ranked Huskies, as well as now boasting a roster with five gold medal winners from the 2022 Canada Summer Games with Team Saskatchewan.
“It’s great for those leaders to have that experience, to have that confidence,” said Huskies men’s coach Sean McKay. “You can see it in practice, you can see it raise your standards. If guys want to continue to get those results, we got to continue to have high standards in practice. And, I think that’s where you’ve seen the most impact.”
The biggest change for both programs will be a return to full conference play in 2022-23, with regular-season road trips to British Columbia and Alberta for the first time in three years.
A welcomed sign for Huskies mainstays like fifth-year outside hitter Levi Olson after only facing schools from Manitoba and their home province.
“It’s a good change for sure,” said Olson. “We’re really excited to play some new teams and get a nice switch up from playing Brandon and all the other Manitoba teams.”
Both Huskies teams will pay a visit to Edmonton this weekend for double-headers against the University of Alberta, before facing the MacEwan Griffins on October 28 for their home openers.