Women's Volleyball Season Preview

Nov. 2 - The defending CIS Champion Manitoba Bisons have only one goal in mind this season and that is a repeat of last year's dramatic win at home in the gold medal final. This year, the National Championships will be held in Laval and Ken Bentley's team definitely has as good a chance as any of winning the big prize in 2002. Bentley who returns to the Herd for his 16th year as Head Coach, is in the enviable position of having five out of six starters from last year's Championship team back in his line-up this season. He strongly feels that this year's group has the maturity, poise and talent that is needed to withstand the pressure of being defending National Champions.

The Bisons lost right side starter Jennifer McDougall a solid all-around player and team leader to graduation this year, but the rest of the team looks strong with middle hitter Kathy Preston (Hrehirchuk) leading the way. Preston has had a collegiate career most athletes can only dream about with last season being the pinnacle of that career so far. The native of Dauphin, MB was named a First Team All Canadian, the CIAU Championship Tournament M.V.P. and the Bison Female Athlete of the Year. If anyone can outdo herself, it would be the incomparable Preston and if the pre-season is any indication, she is on her way to doing exactly that. In three tournaments, the outstanding middle hitter has been named a tournament All-Star twice and a tournament MVP once, that coming in Saskatchewan where she led the Herd to a gold medal. In the final match at the Sask Cup, the Bisons defeated the #2 ranked Calgary Dinosaurs.

Setter Jennifer Dowdall is also returning for her fifth and final year after a break-out year in 2000-2001. The graduate of Miles Mac was named a CIS Championship Tournament All Star after an outstanding performance at the Nationals and she was also named a Second Team All Canadian. Dowdall also emerged from the shadow of Nadia Melon last season and improved steadily throughout the year, peaking at just the right time to make her own mark in CIS Volleyball at the Nationals.

A strong supporting cast that includes a trio of fourth year players, Jaclyn Schmidt, Julie Salyn, and Tammy Mahon, will make the Bisons even tougher this year.

Schmidt came into her own as an outside hitter last season stepping to the fore as a bona-fide power player. The graduate of River East has also become a solid defensive player placing third in the Conference last year in digs per game with 3.68.

Julie Salyn who is a product of Binscarth, MB elevated her game to a new level during last year's CIS Championships and the 6'1" dynamo will be expected to keep her play at that level this season. Fans can expect to see a lot of power and intensity from Salyn this season.

Mahon may be the most powerful player on the team and during the last two years she has developed a habit of being able to turn around a match with only one or two thundering kills. Last season, the native of Holland, MB was amongst the Conference leaders in nearly every statistical category, averaging 1.02 blocks, 3.29 digs and 2.23 kills per game.

Head coach Ken Bentley also had a great recruiting year that will help to augment an already powerful line-up. New to the team are 6'1" middle blocker Lindsay Pogemiller, and 5'6" setter Roxanna Koe out of River East Collegiate in Winnipeg.

Pogemiller comes to the program after having a terrific year. She was part of the Kodiaks' Championship team, was named the MVP of the "AAAA" Championships, and also spent last summer competing for the Junior National Volleyball Team in the NORCECA Zone Junior Championships. Lindsay was a highly sought after commodity, both in Canada and the United States and her decision to stay at home will only strengthen the Bison program.

Koe will join her high school teammate, Pogemiller, as a member of the Herd for the next five years. Roxanna led the Kodiaks to "AAAA" Provincial Championships in 1999 & 2000 and is also a member of the 2001 Canada Games Team. What Coach Bentley likes about Koe is that she is a gritty competitor who is a winner. He has been impressed with her poise in leading River East to back-to- back provincial titles, and goes on to say that the setter position has been solidified for many years to come.

Rounding out this outstanding class of first year players is 5'9" Laura Silversides who comes to the Bison program from St. Ignatius High School in Thunder Bay, ON and 5'6" Kim Hamm from MCI.

Silversides was athlete of the year at her school and also the MVP of her team in 2000. She also received the Ontario Volleyball Association Award of Excellence in 1999 and is a multi sport athlete who has excelled in every sport she has competed in.

Hamm is an intense competitor who will most likely see time as a libero, a difficult role, but one that she is ready to tackle with a vengeance.

The Herd plays in the toughest Conference in Canada, something that is clearly evident by the fact that there has not been a National Champion from outside of Canada West since 1981-1982. This year will be no different as both Alberta and Calgary return full teams, UBC and Saskatchewan are always strong and Winnipeg is constantly improving. Bentley's first goal is to get out of Canada West and then concentrate on the big prize.