Fifth-year Friesen, Bobcats ready for Bears

Tom Friesen didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he joined Canada West men’s volleyball six years ago.

But he caught on quickly, while the rest of the league still hasn’t figured him out.

The Reinfeld native is entering his final weekend of regular-season home action fourth in the conference in kills per set at an impressive 3.50, while boasting a hitting percentage of .305, higher than the nation’s top scorer, Kaden Schmidt of Trinity Western.

Friesen and the Brandon University Bobcats will take the Healthy Living Centre court two more times, Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 6 p.m., against the Alberta Golden Bears.

“It feels kind of crazy. It feels like it has been a long time in a sense,” Friesen said. “My entire adult life has been here. At the same time, it feels like this day kind of crept up on me.”

The six-foot-seven outside hitter has certainly made the most of his five years. The only times he spent at BU not playing were his first year in 2020-21, when the season was cancelled due to COVID-19, and as he navigated a serious case of jumper’s knee during his third and fourth years of eligibility.

For a guy who grew up playing high school ball at Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler and adding some time with the Aztecs Volleyball Club, the year of training was massive for his development.

“Having that one year for adjustment was great … I didn’t have to worry about immediate performance, I could just work on improving, adjusting, and getting to know my teammates,” Friesen said.

“I remember my first pre-season game, I was on the bench. I don’t think I was ever on the court, but I didn’t have to worry about staying warm because my body had so much nervous energy that it kept me going.

“Now, I feel a lot more comfortable out there.”

Friesen piled up 142 kills as a rookie, then led the Bobcats with 247 in his second year while hitting .321.

He had a down year, as his knee issue was most severe in 2023-24, but he sorted it out down the stretch in 2025 as BU was preparing to host the U Sports championship.

Friesen admits he didn’t expect the raucous environment when he joined a BU program that was slated to host nationals in 2021 when he committed, nor did he ever expect to be mobbed by fans on the floor as a national champion.

“I had no idea the significance of what it would be like,” Friesen said.

“I didn’t realize it was going to be a huge event, crowds would be packed, and it’d be super loud and exciting. It didn’t factor into my decision to come here at all.

“It was a super incredible experience, and for us to be able to play that well that weekend and take home the championship was incredible.”

Friesen brought a unique attacking style to the Bobcats, and his action hasn’t changed much since then.

Opponents had a hard time reading him, as it seemed like even he didn’t know exactly where the ball was going to fly off of his whippy right arm.

Friesen says that technique comes from badminton, where a high contact point and quick wrist snap are key.

He’s able to hit just about any shot he wants, regardless of the size of the block in front of him, thanks to his high touch and spin he generates to help the ball drop into the court.

While it may look unorthodox at times, the results don’t lie.

After a weak opening weekend for Brandon, Friesen has just one match below double-digits in kills. He’s one of the most consistent scorers in the league.

“He turned out just like we hoped or envisioned. He was a pretty talented high school player that went under the radar for whatever reasons, and we were certainly thankful to sign him and bring him here,” said Bobcats head coach Grant Wilson.

“Tom is Tom, and we love him just the way he is. He certainly fires up the guys with who he is as a person and how he plays. He’s a tremendous human being, he’s been a great ambassador for our program, and it’s pretty cool to see him out there doing his thing and being himself doing it.”

Friesen has a shot at leaving as a Canada West all-star, and plans to pursue professional volleyball after graduating with his bachelor of science degree, majoring in math.

But first, his team still has a title to defend to the bitter end. BU (7-9) is tied for eighth place in Canada West, with a chance to finish as high as sixth, avoiding the play-in round for a good reason, or 11th, avoiding it because it would be out of the post-season entirely.

The first step to securing a spot, and keeping a chance of home playoff action alive, is beating a hungry Alberta (9-5) team that would like to move up into the top four and host a quarterfinal series.

“My coach always says you’ve got to treat each game like the most important game of your life, and we’re going to do the same this weekend and the next,” Friesen said.

“They’re a good team, but they have lost some games this year. They aren’t as strong as in past years in some ways. If we play our A-game, I think we can take them.”

QUICK HITS: The BU women, who were eliminated from playoff contention last week, are on a bye … the Bobcat basketball teams visit the Manitoba Bisons to close out the regular season on Friday and Saturday. The men have clinched a playoff spot, while the women can do so with a win or a Lethbridge loss to Alberta today.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com