Bobcats add Hamiota hitter Smith

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This article was published 11/04/2024 (773 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Surrey Smith is following an unusual path to her volleyball dream.

Players at the A level seldom get the competition needed to become great, or the recognition to get a chance at the U Sports level.

However, one who knows this all too well is Brandon University Bobcats interim head coach Kailan Robinson, who has signed her fellow Hamiota native Smith for the 2024-25 Canada West season.

“Surrey’s someone who reminds me a lot of myself, playing single-A volleyball and basketball. She’s an all-star for both, who’s always envisioned playing U Sports so she worked really hard to get herself getting to that point and I’m happy to recruit her,” Robinson said.

“She can hit the ball with a lot of pace, and for someone to bring in such a tough spin serve too, I see here bringing up the compete level in our gym.”

Few players at any level in Manitoba attack as hard as the five-foot-10 outside hitter, who will blast a ball off a defender’s head and genuinely feel bad about it, but get right back to crushing the ball on the next point.

Smith is quick to credit anyone and everyone around her during her volleyball journey. Her father, Cory, coached varsity volleyball when Surrey was younger and she worked hard on her arm swing to attack with the kind of pace she was amazed by back then.

She recognizes the importance of joining the Cats Volleyball Club — and Brandon Volleyball Club this year — in her development, since she gets to compete with the best players in the province regularly. That meant three hour-long drives each way for her parents, Cory and Kelly.

“That’s huge. I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for them,” Smith said.

Now Smith’s Hamiota Huskies were no ordinary A team. They won a provincial title before setter Ella Gurr joined the Manitoba Bisons and libero Reanna Gage headed to Alberta to play for the Lethbridge College Kodiaks.

Their group, coached by former Bobcat men’s volleyball middle blocker Mason Metcalf, had a remarkable mix of talent and drive.

“We always went to the gym even when there wasn’t practice because we loved getting reps in, loved the sport,” Smith said, adding Metcalf and his incredible volleyball IQ were huge for her development.

“That’s probably one of the main reasons why I’m here, or going to be, because I got so many reps with people I loved playing with.”

Smith has a good feeling she’ll like her new team as well. She liked the team dynamic on her visit and is playing for Robinson’s 18-and-under BVC team. While it’s not clear who will be in charge this fall since Robinson still has the interim tag and Lee Carter has been on leave for more than a year, Smith wants to be part of the current situation.

“I love that [Robinson] boosts confidence in players, big time,” Smith said. “I’m not afraid to make a mistake. If I make one, there’s no consequence for that, which is really nice.”

Smith joins Eva Dooks, Emma Witkowski and Alexa Parken in the rookie class.

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