Paddock finds form as Cougars come back strong
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/01/2025 (329 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Jordyn Paddock has officially shaken the rust off.
The second-year left side, who took a six-year gap from her rookie season at Assiniboine College until her sophomore year, started 2025 with a statement game.
Paddock shattered her season-high of 10 kills with 15 on just 30 attempts, leading the Cougars to a five-set victory over the Providence Pilots on Saturday.
Jordyn Paddock of the Assiniboine Cougars attacks against the Providence Pilots earlier this season. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)
The Oak River native was named Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference female athlete of the week and said she hasn’t yet hit her ceiling.
“Everyone can always improve. I can always get better,” Paddock said.
“I thought I had a good game and collectively we just all played well. We were looking at our stats earlier and everyone really showed up.
“It was completely a team effort.”
Paddock wasn’t as focused on academics when she first played at Assiniboine, but after a move to Winnipeg to study environmental science and a recent return to the Wheat City, she settled into the college’s health care aide program with plans of moving on to nursing.
She grew an inch, now standing five-foot-eight, and developed a deeper knowledge of the game through coaching some club teams.
AC coach Kevin Neufeld has been impressed with her progress, both from her high school days until now and over the past few months. It showed as she led her team through three nail-biting sets.
“She did a great job of just staying composed. She moved the ball around, she tipped some balls, hit some balls down the line, hit sharp cross-court,” Neufeld said. “She just played really smart and I think her experience really showed. She’s kind of unassuming and it was a quiet 15 kills but well deserved.
“She’s a good player, she’s a good athlete, she’s super fit … Her teammates are starting to trust her more and that’s really helping us as well.”
Paddock had a team-high eight errors in Saturday’s match, while Kylee Peake posted 15 kills and five errors on 50 attempts, and the rest of the team had no more than one attacking error, albeit on lower volume.
Paddock is currently sixth in the league with 2.39 kills per set and 10th with 1.78 digs per set.
She didn’t completely take six years off of playing, of course. She stayed involved as a player in women’s leagues, but notes it’s not the same.
The serves aren’t as tough, the offences are a whole lot slower and there simply isn’t the same intensity as there is in the MCAC as the four teams vie for a trip to Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association nationals.
Last season, Providence seemed destined to represent Manitoba, going undefeated and reaching the final as the championship host.
Jordyn Paddock was named MCAC athlete of the week on Tuesday after helping the Cougars hand the Pilots their first loss of the season on Saturday. (Matt Packwood/The Brandon Sun)
However, the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers snuck past the Cougars in five sets before a second-straight 3-2 victory over the Pilots in the final.
Providence (10-1) has all but secured a spot in this year’s best-of-three final series under the new format, which pits second and third against each other in a single-match semifinal while fourth is eliminated.
While the Cougars may have delivered the wake-up call the Pilots needed, it gave them a massive shot in the arm.
“It’s just super encouraging knowing we can beat them and we have the ability to do that, it’s really encouraging going into the second half and playoffs hopefully as well,” Paddock said.
“We knew we could do it. We had close matches against them every other time we played them and the sets were always close. It was always in the back of our mind that we can beat them, it’s just pushing past those last few points and once you get to 20, that race to five.”
With seven matches left in the regular season, Assiniboine continues its home stand against CMU on Friday and Saturday, as the two 5-6 teams look to break the deadlock and earn home-court advantage for the semifinal.
Friday’s first serve is at 7:45 p.m., following the 6 o’clock men’s match.
On Saturday, the men start at noon and the women follow at 1:45 p.m.
» tfriesen@brandonsun.com
» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5