Hettinga returns to volleyball with Bobcats

Maddy Hettinga thought her volleyball career was over.

As fast as she became one of the most promising stars in U Sports, she thought she was done.

She knew it when she broke her back a few months after leaving the UBC Okanagan Heat.

But after moving to Brandon from Kelowna, B.C., starting a student-teaching placement at Crocus Plains, and agreeing to coach the Plainsmen freshman boys, Hettinga’s love for the game is back.

She has joined the Brandon University Bobcats and will play this weekend against the Manitoba Bisons at the Healthy Living Centre.

Hettinga reached out to head coach Kailan Robinson a few weeks ago to see what was possible.

“My back’s feeling good now, and I started coaching the Grade 9 boys at Crocus Plains and was like, ‘I miss it so much,’ so why not?” Hettinga said.

“I’m just happy to be practising, honestly. I didn’t even expect to be on the roster.”

Hettinga grew up in Kelowna and was one of the top outside hitters in British Columbia. She joined the Heat as a middle blocker and jumped right into the lineup.

The six-foot-one attacker finished the season with 79 kills, 12 aces, and 34 blocks, earning Canada West Rookie of the Year and being named to the U Sports All-Rookie Team.

Hettinga posted similar numbers the following year, as UBCO improved from 8-8 to 13-11 but lost a Canada West quarterfinal to Trinity Western.

In the fall of 2023, Hettinga left the program.

“I didn’t want to play there anymore,” Hettinga said.

“It wasn’t really volleyball that I didn’t love, it was just the program there.”

UBCO head coach Steve Manuel did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

That winter, she was skiing at Revelstoke Mountain Resort and attempted a backflip — a trick she’d pulled off multiple times before — and landed on her back, fracturing her T6 vertebra in four places.

Incredibly, she got up and skied down to her vehicle, not realizing the severity of the injury.

Only after she went for an X-ray did she find out it was broken.

“It sounds more serious than it was,” Hettinga said. “It was just a really hard recovery.

“I used that as an excuse to be like, ‘OK, I’m done competitive sports.’ But coming back here, I miss it so much. I just want to play volleyball.”

Hettinga completed her undergraduate degree the following year and started looking for after-education degree programs.

Her boyfriend is from Portage la Prairie, so she knew she’d have family close if she chose BU, and had heard good things about the program.

Hettinga knows it’s somewhat unusual to move from the Okanagan to the prairies, but she is glad she did.

“Genuinely, I like it in the prairies,” Hettinga said. “It’s a change-up, it’s a reset, I didn’t want to be in Kelowna anymore.”

The move had nothing to do with volleyball at first, but the sport worked its way back into her life through coaching.

Being at Crocus and helping her players grow and learn the game brought the spark back.

She’s been practising with the Bobcats for a few weeks and admits there’s still some rust, but she’s confident she’ll find her stride again soon.

While she isn’t slated to start this Friday against the defending national champions, she has the next matchup circled on her calendar and will push to be ready by then.

After a bye week, BU hosts UBCO.

“I really would love her to be ready for that weekend. She’ll be extra fired up to play against them,” Robinson said.

“From a coaching perspective, I’m not sure if she’s ready yet to see the court this weekend.”

When Hettinga reached out, the Bobcats were dealing with Georgia Johnson’s nagging shoulder injury and overall struggles to generate offence from their outside hitters. Now, a more pressing need has arisen with middle blocker Megan Pickford sidelined.

Robinson pondered playing Hettinga there but opted against it since she never wanted to play the position with the Heat.

“Her heart’s just not there, and it’s part of her past; she wants to put it behind her, so we’re keeping her on the outside,” Robinson said.

The Bobcats (0-6) are coming off a pair of 3-0 losses to the Saskatchewan Huskies (5-3). The Bisons (2-2) have already had two bye weeks and have split the UBC Thunderbirds and Calgary Dinos.

Whether Hettinga can help turn BU’s season around or not remains to be seen, but it’s clear she’s happy to be there and ready to work.

“I always just played volleyball because it was a strong suit,” Hettinga said.

“This is the most I’ve loved volleyball, ever.”

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