Hometown Bobcat Kindle embraces captaincy

When the Brandon University Bobcats named Liam Kindle a captain last year, he tried to fit into the role.

He realized something didn’t feel right and spent the summer soul-searching before coming to a simple conclusion.

“I kind of just settled on being myself,” Kindle said.

“You can’t be a true leader without showing your true colours, being vulnerable, admitting your mistakes, and that’s what a lot of these younger guys need to see.

“If you pretend to be perfect, there’s going to be holes in your leadership, there’s going to be hypocrisy in your leadership, and the last thing a leader can be is hypocritical.”

The former Vincent Massey Viking is heading into his sixth season — and fourth year of eligibility — with the BU men’s volleyball team, which beat the Winnipeg Wesmen 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-18) at the Healthy Living Centre on Friday.

Kindle posted a team-high nine kills and two errors, adding four blocks for 12 1/2 points. Tom Friesen added seven kills for Brandon.

Sebastien Verdaguer led the Wesmen with 10 kills.

Brandon plays Manitoba to finish the round robin today at 5:30 p.m. Medal matches are on Sunday at 11 a.m. (bronze) and 1 p.m. (gold).

The six-foot-six opposite played behind U Sports championship all-star Riley Grusing last year, helping BU to its first-ever national title.

With the Albertan graduating, Kindle theoretically moves up the depth chart — but not in his eyes.

“We all go into the season with the same expectation that you start from the bottom and you work your way up. That’s how it is,” Kindle said. “There’s been some talk around projected starting lineups, that’s B.S. You gotta throw that straight out the window at the start of the season. Everything is earned, nothing is given.

“(This pre-season) feels a little bit different from a seniority perspective. I’m better at the game than I used to be, but it’s all earned from the first practice, the first rep to the first serve of the opening game.”

Kindle certainly started his career at the bottom, redshirting the 2021-22 season after training with the team during the campaign lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He appeared in six matches the following year, recording seven kills.

His most productive season was 2023-24, when he played in 27 sets across 14 matches, posting 45 kills and 22 errors with a .225 hitting percentage.

Kindle broke out in a massive Brandon home victory over Alberta on Oct. 27, 2023, coming off the bench late in the second set to come from behind and win, then take the next two. He piled up nine kills with just one error.

He capped that semester with a career-high 16 kills and seven errors in a four-set win over Fraser Valley, then played sparingly the rest of the season.

Last year, mainly due to Grusing’s improved performance, Kindle only played in five matches and recorded four kills.

“It’s definitely taught me to never, absolutely never, under any circumstance, take an opportunity for granted,” Kindle said. “You have to take advantage of every tiny opportunity that’s given to you, no matter how big … no matter what situation, and make the most of it.”

Bobcats head coach Grant Wilson said he’s seen big strides in Kindle’s game over the years. While he’s always been impressed with the former Brandon Volleyball Club star’s attacking, Wilson said Kindle’s serve has improved a lot, and he’s starting to turn a corner as a blocker.

He’s also grown on the mental side.

“My mindset has certainly evolved a ton,” Kindle said.

“Our sport psychology is a really strong aspect of our team. A lot of guys come in with maybe hot heads or don’t know how to control their emotions, don’t know how to respond to making mistakes, and Grant does a great job of straightening all those worries out with all of us.”

However, Kindle’s back-row defence has been the weakness that kept him off the floor, and it’ll be that and his blocking that dictate his floor time.

“He’s just really matured physically and mentally over his time here and has put a concerted effort into being the best version of himself,” Wilson said.

“He certainly knows there’s nothing guaranteed, but he’s worked hard for his opportunities and he’ll certainly get some chances early here.

“If he runs with it, great. If it doesn’t work out, I also know he’ll be a great teammate and a great leader regardless, whether he’s on the floor or not.”

Wilson recruited what he hopes is BU’s future at the opposite position in New Zealand national team product Jobe McAuley. But the rookie has been on crutches this week with what Wilson hopes is just a short-term injury.

Regardless of how many points Kindle plays, he’ll be there for his teammates in every way he can. He knows it’s worth it for moments like last March when he was called up alongside JJ Love, Philipp Lauter and Michael Flor to hoist the Tantramar Trophy on home court.

“I just felt so happy for them,” Kindle said of the three graduates. “Getting to be a part of that group with those three guys was such an honour, so being able to lift the trophy with them was so special.”

This year, the leadership group is Kindle, Liam Pauls and Australian Sam Chen.

Pauls has been not only a starter but one of the team’s scoring leaders for the better part of his three seasons in blue and gold, and will continue to lead as a go-to guy for setters Kale Fisher, Keon Torz and Matt Lefebvre.

Chen embraced every position Wilson placed him in during his first two seasons, including outside hitter, opposite and libero, where he ultimately started at nationals last year to tighten up BU’s reception.

Kindle will be a terrific example for the young guys to follow, simply because of who he is.

After asserting that his approach to the captaincy is to be himself, Kindle took a long pause on Friday to self-reflect on exactly who that is.

“I’m still searching for that every day,” he admitted before summing it up perfectly.

“I think I’m a guy that’s true to his word, a guy that genuinely cares about his teammates, genuinely cares about their concerns, their worries, their problems, and a guy that shows up every day and works as hard as he can, brings as much energy as he can and tries to motivate other people to do the same.”

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