Desjardin joins big Cougars rookie crop

The Assiniboine College Cougars finally reached the top of the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference, and Layla Desjardin wants to keep them there.

The Neelin Spartans opposite has committed to the Cougars women’s volleyball team for the 2026-27 season, joining Kevin Neufeld’s massive recruit class.

“I’m really excited. I went to a practice with them a while back and all of the girls are super nice,” Desjardin said.

“We scrimmaged against them a few times for club and school and I’m really excited. Kevin seems like an amazing coach, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Assiniboine just won its first-ever MCAC title, while Desjardin is coming off of a few down years by the Neelin Spartans’ lofty standards, finishing fourth and third at AAA provincials in her two seasons of varsity volleyball.

She helped Neelin win two AAA JV provincial titles, being named an all-star following the final in her sophomore year.

Neufeld has seen the six-foot attacker’s growth throughout her career.

“She’s really made good improvements. In Grade 10, I thought she was OK. Saw her in Grade 11, I thought she was good. The more I watched her this year, I thought she was really good,” Neufeld said.

“She’s a quiet kind of impactful of player. She serves it hard; she’s left-handed, which obviously brings some special talent.

“She’s really competitive, she loves to win and those kinds of people are harder to find each year moving forward.”

Desjardin is also a strong softball player. She helped the Spartans to a city title as a freshman three years ago, pitching a gem to beat the powerhouse Vincent Massey Vikings.

There was a time softball would have been her first choice after high school but over the past few years, volleyball took over.

“I’ve always loved the intense rallies,” Desjardin said. “There’s always a role for everybody on the team. It’s a quicker game. You need more energy.

“I’ve always had way more fun with it and it’s more of a team sport. The environment of the gym, I’ve always liked that way better.”

Desjardin feels she’ll bring a solid physical presence at the net, while she’s working on her consistency with the Westman Volleyball Club 18U girls this spring.

Her biggest focus is on the mental side.

“That’s probably the thing I’ve had the hardest time with,” Desjardin said. “I’ve always been hard on myself when I’m playing and it’s just been a problem throughout all my years of playing, lack of confidence.”

Desjardin is currently taking cosmetology courses at Crocus Plains and will study business at Assiniboine, helping her potentially open a salon one day.

On the court, she’s joining a massive rookie group including local talents in Neepawa’s Paige Kaspick, Virden’s Tyra Wilkinson and Roblin’s Dillan Kendrick. The group also features Stonewall libero Jordan Hudon, Winnipeg setter Summer Cadotte, Rochester Christian University outside hitter Karly Dueck and Stonewall opposite Rhea Myers.

“I’m really happy with who we have committed so far,” Neufeld said. “At the end of the day, we had to get more physical in order to progress. I’d say all the people we have committed, they’re good athletes, they’re higher in the air and they don’t have to be touching the basketball rim but they have to be able to impact the game above the net.”

While third-years Kylee Peake, Kiera Virgo, Marie Dunster and more key players are moving on, Neufeld expects his team to continue to succeed after qualifying for nationals and giving the Vancouver Island Mariners a scare in the opening round last month.

“We were the deepest team in the league last year. There were some kids who no one really got the chance to see a lot who will come in and have a big impact next year,” Neufeld said.

“Our depth was stronger than other teams, so you figure we lose nine kids that we would be guaranteed to be last, but I can pretty much guarantee that won’t be happening.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com