Cougar’s men’s volleyball coach, Shawn Sky, entered his 22nd season with high anticipation and excitement.
Sky’s hope was well worth the wait as his team had an incredible start to their season, going undefeated in 4 games against Thompson Rivers University and the University of Saskatchewan.
After finishing near the bottom of the Canada West standings last season, Sky needed some players to step up.
The team has added some notable players to the roster, including rookie Kai Toney and veteran Michael McAlpine. But there was one standout name that everyone was excited to see.
After committing to MRU in 2023, Kale Orr deferred his first year of eligibility to 2025, allowing him to focus on his faith. He spent the last two years in Australia serving on a mission with his church.
Now that Orr is back on the roster, he’s making a very noticeable impact on the court.
“Kale definitely adds a lot of value to our roster,” said Sky. “He’s a super aggressive player that you can tell provides the guys with both confidence and energy.”
Those star qualities were on display for the Cougars during the first two weeks of the season. On Oct. 17, the team welcomed fans back to Kenyon Court to kick off the season against the TRU Wolfpack.
The gym was packed with friends, families and fans waiting to see the team in action. The electric energy fueled the players.
During the first weekend, the team got two commanding wins over the Wolfpack, winning 3-1 each night.
Each player made a noticeable impact in the matches. The returning core of players—Grant Hill, Ryan John, Isaac Karstad and Cody Hudson—brought their A-game and experience to the court, while newcomers Orr, McAlpine, Toney and libero Liam Brandsma brought hunger and fresh skill.
“Anybody that’s entered the match has made a difference, and that has been huge for us,” said Sky.
While the score was in their favour, this impressive first weekend didn’t stand out to Sky, who said he needs his group to grow and gain more experience playing in Canada West. In his view, his team just survived that weekend.
“Thankfully, there’s no aesthetic quality to the scoreboard,” said Sky.
The next weekend, the Cougars faced the Huskies, a very experienced and skilled team that finished in the top three in Canada West last year, earning a trip to the national championship.
The second game was not as smooth.
Even without Huskies’ key player Emmett Graham, the Cougars had their hands full. But they still took a 3-1 win over them in their first match.
The Cougars took an early 2-0 lead, but the Huskies closed the deficit and forced a fifth set. Still, Sky’s team was able to overcome the Huskies’ strengths to stay undefeated.
“We’ve shown a tremendous ability to come back,” said Sky.
The recruits led the team in kills and digs that night, with Orr, Toney and McAlpine showing off their ability to play both sides of the ball.
Sky is still looking for improvement from his group, and he knows his team needs to get better for the rest of the season.
Challenging Start for Women’s Volleyball
Women’s volleyball went winless in the home opener with two losses against the University of Saskatchewan.
They lost the first match in a quick three sets, but they pushed in the second match, ultimately coming up short by eight points, resulting in a heartbreaking weekend for the team as a whole.
The women’s team is coming off an excellent 2024-2025 season. Rhonda Schmuland came in as the new head coach and led the Cougars to the playoffs.
After being eliminated in the first round by the University of Manitoba, Coach Schmuland and her team needed to make adjustments for this new season. She wants more consistency.
Last year, they played well against middling teams but struggled against the top teams in Western Canada.
“The goal, hope, expectation, is that we can take those top teams and push them,” said Schmuland.
Going into their first games of the season against the UofS Huskies on Oct. 24, Schmuland felt great. She was excited to see some hard-fought games.
Their weekend was full of emotion. It was exciting for players like third-year Faith Obasi, who will be taking on a greater role with the team this year, but bittersweet for veterans like fifth-year Mya Morgan, who played her last season opener.
The weekend was also a first for some players, such as newly acquired setter Kennedy Williscroft. She spent the last two seasons playing at Humber College, posting an impressive 42-0 record and winning two national championships.
Williscroft brings in a mix of valuable winning experience and leadership to this Cougar team.
Even with the high emotions heading into the season opener, the games themselves offered many lessons for these women, such as handling nerves.
“As the game progressed, it became obvious that we couldn’t quite get from our nervousness to excitement and performing well,” said Schmuland.
Going into the second match against the Huskies, the game started similarly to the first.
Once again, the Huskies took a 2-0 lead; however, this time the Cougars were able to push back and force a fifth set.
“I was happy to see us bring to the court what we had been practising for the last (few) weeks,” said Schmuland.
Still proud of a loss
Although they lost 3-2, Schmuland is still proud of her group and the perseverance they showed late in the game.
The team had impressive performances from its returning veterans. Brownynn Davies-Neira had 22 digs, Sydney Scatcherd had 14 kills, Mya Morgan had seven kills, and Aurora Bentrim had 10 kills and 13 digs.
Schmuland said the team has four pillars of core values that will guide them this year.
Connectedness, relentlessness, passion and gratitude. Throughout the weekend, the team reflected these characteristics on the court.
“If we get the outcome that we’re hoping for or not at the end of the year, we are just so grateful that we have this opportunity to do this together,” said Schmuland.
Moving forward in the season, Schmuland is looking for the team to implement more of what they practice into their games. It will be key to achieving success for the group.
“They’re well prepared, and it’s exciting to see what they will do with that (next) step,” said Schmuland.
With both the men’s and women’s teams showing a high level of competition and plenty of skill in the first two weeks of the season, expect both teams to be dangerous competitors in Canada West for the 2025-26 season.