Club West is Manitoba’s best

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This article was published 06/05/2025 (366 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was clear from the start this Club West Rage team was special.

They won the first Volleyball Manitoba Premier event — and just captured the province’s most important one.

Club West beat the Junior Bisons Gold 2-1 (23-25, 25-23, 15-12) in the club provincial final in Steinbach on Sunday.

“It was super exciting. We were really pumped we had won because it had been back and forth all year with the Bisons and everyone worked so hard,” said Reston native Halle Duncan.

“From the start of the season, our group has clicked so well together. Even when we made subs, our intensity didn’t change with whoever was on the court and our bench made such a good impact on the game as well.”

The six-foot middle blocker was named a tournament all-star, while Vincent Massey Vikings Hannah McGregor and Jersey Hansen-Young — the MVP — also made the team.

“I was surprised that I got called up … I personally thought it should have gone to someone else but I’m very happy it was me and very honoured to have that award,” Duncan said.

“I think my blocking this weekend was the best that it’s ever been and I think that showed in the two big games.”

Club West boasts a terrific mix of top-end talent and depth, with Ste. Rose native Brynn Wildeboer joining Hansen-Young on the outside, Amiyah Spencer in the second middle spot and Elton Sabre Emersyn Geekie-Towle playing libero.

Coach Steve Densmore rolled with two setters, thanks to Volleyball Manitoba’s amendment to the rules allowing 12 “unlimited” substitutions per set. Standard volleyball rules, including those at Volleyball Canada nationals, only allow a starter to leave and re-enter once.

But Club West had Shaleigh Way play the back row rotations and Katelynn Preston play in the front row as a stronger blocker.

“We’re solid all-around at every position, plus we have people that can come off the bench and do the job just as good. We’re not just six, seven deep … up to 10 can get in and be fine,” Densmore said.

“We’ve got our middles to the point where you can’t leave our middles or they’re going to score, so now they can’t key on our powers, which is what they were doing before.”

The system worked to perfection as no team scored more than 20 points on Club West through three pool play matches, the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

The medal rounds were where everyone knew it’d get interesting. As the top seed, the Bisons Gold team drew the Westman Wave and won 25-20, 25-23, their narrowest match all weekend.

Club West faced Shock, another championship contender, and rolled through the first set 25-15 before a tight 25-23 decision in the second.

“We’ve always seemed to have trouble with Shock and Bisons just because they are what they are, they’re big and they’re good. We just played well,” Densmore said. “We kept digging and digging and digging. We got behind a couple of times but managed to fight through every time, never gave up, point for point.”

Club West dropped its first and only set of the weekend to start the final.

“We made too many errors and we weren’t playing with the intensity we needed to play at,” Densmore said. “We cut down on the errors and just got a little bit more focused on going point to point, not giving up, having fun and playing hard.”

While the all-stars stepped up, close sets are often decided by little advantages teams can gain with tactics. For Duncan, a huge one was Jada McMillan coming off the bench to serve in key moments. The Neelin Spartan served her team back from the brink of elimination to a gold medal at provincials in her Grade 11 year, rallying from down 24-18 in the second set after losing the first in a semifinal.

“She comes in and makes her serves, they’re strong, they’re good and they’re consistent,” Duncan said. “Sometimes it pulls us out of a rut and gets us going.”

Up next is the national championships in Edmonton on May 23-25.

While Club West hasn’t done too well there in Duncan’s time, the team has plenty of motivation to achieve something big after this weekend.

“The goal heading into nationals,” Duncan said, “is just to keep working on all the little things, staying consistent and working hard every practice.”

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