Bobcats add Jeanne-Sauvé middle Steingart

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This article was published 04/01/2025 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Madison Steingart spent her senior year learning from a Brandon University legend.

Now, she’s following in her footsteps.

The Collège Jeanne-Sauvé Olympiens middle blocker has committed to the Bobcats women’s volleyball team for the 2025-26 Canada West season, 10 years after her head coach Donata Huebert last repped the blue and gold.

“I always had the goal of playing U Sports volleyball somewhere in Canada West,” Steingart said.

“I figured Brandon’s good, it’s close and they have a good psychology program.

“All the girls are super nice and I really love the facility, and (interim coach) Kailan (Robinson) … she’s just the sweetest.”

Huebert didn’t sing her own praises to her high school team, so Steingart wasn’t aware Huebert not only played four seasons of U Sports ball but was the national libero of the year three times.

Of course, she was much more focused on developing her Olympiens as much as possible.

“She’s such a positive person so she’s always making sure her players bring positivity on the court. I felt that helped us play as a team rather than individually,” Steingart said.

“For more strategic (training), she helped me practise my runs, being creative in what I run with my setter.”

Steingart enjoyed a terrific senior season, helping her team earn the No. 3 seed for AAAA provincials. Jeanne-Sauvé reached the final four, knocking off No. 2 Selkirk to head to the gold-medal match against the top-ranked Vincent Massey Vikings.

CJS took the first set but fell 3-1 to the powerhouse from Brandon.

“Starting with semis, we were super happy we won that game. Coming into semis we were kind of the underdog because … We’re glad we put it all on the court in semis,” Steingart said.

“For finals, we tried to do the same, Brandon’s just a pretty good team. We played as a team, we lost as a team, it wasn’t the ideal outcome but we’re all super proud of each other.”

Steingart feels those two big matches at the University of Manitoba’s Investors Group Athletic Centre will prove valuable experience as she moves into Canada West.

“The crowd is a big factor. Hearing the chants for you or against you really can make a difference. We had an awesome student section and that really encouraged our team,” she said.

“Hearing the chants against you, you have to tune it out and that will definitely help in the university years.”

A few years ago, Steingart couldn’t have predicted the way her passion for volleyball grew. While her older sister played club with Bisons, she was a soccer player and wanted to follow her own path.

However, the five-foot-11 middle blocker grew quickly and decided it was worth a shot.

Due to her late birthday, she played down with the Bisons 14-and-under Gold team. Two years later, she made the 17U Gold squad that cracked the podium at Volleyball Canada nationals, earning a bronze medal.

“We grew together and we were like a family. Because there were only 10 of us, we were so tight,” Steingart said.

She suited up for Team Manitoba the following summer and is on the 18U Bisons Gold team to cap her club career this year.

Then, she’ll move to BU and study psychology while joining a rebuilding group. Robinson may continue leading the charge, though the school will most likely post a tenure-track faculty position after the 2024-25 season and interview a handful of candidates.

On the court, Steingart feels her consistency is her biggest strength.

“I pride myself on being a consistent player, getting a serve over when it needs to be over,” she said.

“I like playing under pressure better, I’m not sure why, but playing under pressure and bringing energy.”

She knows it’s a big jump from high school and club ball and knows her attacking needs to improve before training camp in September.

“Just finding spots, hitting around blocks and connecting with whatever setter we have,” she said. “Getting creative with runs and trying to be a more effective hitter.”

The Bobcats are in Calgary this week for a few exhibition matches before returning to regular season action at Mount Royal on Thursday.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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