All-star Redekop joins hometown Bobcats

Zoe Redekop’s storybook ending is now just the closing of a chapter.

She finished her last match for the Vincent Massey Vikings with a gold medal around her neck and an AAAA provincial volleyball championship all-star award in hand on Monday.

Two days later, Brandon University announced the hometown star as its first recruit for the 2026-27 Canada West season.

“It’s beyond exciting. I’m kind of just riding the high right now. This whole week has been amazing,” Redekop said.

“Playing U Sports has been such a big dream of mine. I looked at all my options, but getting this offer has been really great. Growing up here, I’ve gotten to watch the team and know the team and know they’re going to do great things. They’re so positive, so I’m excited to be part of that with them.”

Redekop was probably the best Grade 11 attacker who didn’t have a starting spot last high school season, due to her stacked Vikings team, including Jersey Hansen-Young, the consensus No. 1 player in the province last year.

Redekop knew she had big shoes to fill this year, and the five-foot-nine outside hitter plays a different style of game compared to the six-foot-one Hansen-Young. She found her role and delivered consistently at the net and in the back row all year.

In Monday’s final, she kept her mistakes to a minimum while piling up 15 kills in four sets to help the Vikings become the first back-to-back AAAA girls champions since the Jeanne-Sauve Olympiens — who they beat in the final — won two straight in 2017 and 2018.

While Redekop has checked off another big goal, she knows she’s far from a finished product on the court. What worked in high school won’t be so effective against towering Canada West opponents, so she’s eager to elevate her game in the weight room.

“Fitness goals are a big part of it,” Redekop said. “I really want to focus on that and do a lot of exercises that will increase my vertical and my strength in general. Just the speed of everything will help me step it up and start to match everyone else because I know I’m coming in as a shorter left side.”

Volleyball IQ has always been a strength for Redekop, who comes by her knowledge of the game honestly.

Her grandmother, Marilyn, is a Manitoba Volleyball Hall of Fame member (class of 2005) who kept playing senior women’s volleyball into her 80s.

Her father, Ted, is a regular Brandon Volleyball Club coach, while her uncle, Mike DeGroot, coached the Vikings varsity girls until DeRoo took over just a few years ago. His daughters all played, including James, who was on the Bobcats roster from 2018 to 2022.

“I won’t say it’s our entire family topic, but it’s definitely a big passion for a lot of us, so I’m glad we get to share that and have so much knowledge on it,” Zoe Redekop said. “As a family, it’s really wholesome.

“Always believing in yourself and knowing there’s so many people that support you no matter what and having people that are proud of me really keeps me going.”

Redekop plans to study environmental sciences at BU while trying to help a struggling Bobcat team return to playoff form in the future. They’re currently 1-9 after splitting the UBC Okanagan Heat in a pair of five-setters last weekend.

When her Canada West seasons end, she’s excited to coach like the Bobcats she has played for over the years with the old Cats Volleyball Club and now with BVC.

“It’s been really great,” Redekop said. “They’ve been big inspirations to me, and they’ve always brought such a positive side to it all, and really made volleyball so much fun for me. That did impact my choice.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com