Friesen joins Germany’s Netzhoppers

If Reinfeld to Brandon was a big move for Tom Friesen, his next one is monumental.

The Canada West men’s volleyball all-star is off to Königs Wusterhausen, Germany, to play for the Netzhoppers of the German Bundesliga this fall.

“If you told me in my first year I’d go play pro, it’d be a bit overwhelming,” Friesen said. “I was not expecting to be in Germany, top division, in my first year.

“It’s crazy, it’s only a month and a week away.”

Friesen joined Brandon University in 2020, with one year to develop while conference play was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The six-foot-seven outside hitter, who had a standout high school career at Winkler’s Garden Valley Collegiate, became a five-year starter at BU. He led the team in scoring during his second year with 247 kills and a career-high .321 hitting percentage.

A knee injury limited him for much of his third year and lingered into his fourth, but he was able to tough it out and play the entire U Sports championship as the Bobcats claimed their first national crown on home court.

Friesen’s unorthodox attacking style proved next to impossible for defenders to read, and helped him cap his career as a Canada West second-team all-star in 2026.

He wasn’t ready to be done with volleyball yet, though. Friesen connected with an agent and spent the past few months searching for a contract.

“One morning, my agent let me know there was interest from a team in Germany and he’d know more details soon … it was less than a day and I had an offer,” Friesen recalled.

“Since then, I’ve had an opportunity to chat with the coach (Constant Tchouassi) and that went well, lots of green flags. He seemed like a good coach but also a good person and a good leader, so that was good to see.”

Tchouassi, a native of Cameroon, played professionally in France for more than 14 years before transitioning into coaching.

He’s new to the team, so while former Winnipeg Wesmen Isaiah Olfert, who played for the Netzhoppers in 2025-26, filled Friesen in on what to expect, he said a lot could change heading into this season.

The club was also once home to Team Canada setter Luke Herr of Winnipeg in 2019-20 and former Bobcat middle blocker James Weir the following season.

For Friesen, being in a smaller suburb of Berlin with just 40,000 people feels more manageable than a major centre.

“Germany is pretty ideal for me. It’s a good location, know a little bit about the culture, I have lots of relatives that speak German … I don’t, but my parents both speak German, so it helps a little bit learning the language,” Friesen said.

“A bit of a smaller community and a lot of similarities with Brandon as far as the supportiveness of the crowd.

“It’s a middle-of-the-pack team with chances to upset and will upset top teams. I’ve got experience with that.”

Friesen didn’t take long to adjust to the speed of the U Sports game, and he knows he’ll have to be prepared to catch up even quicker.

While plenty of BU volleyball and basketball players have signed professional contracts in Europe, even some of the top Bobcat athletes have seen their deals fall through in a hurry. Former Canada West all-star volleyballer Rayvn Wiebe was cut from her Belgian team within the first few months, while men’s basketball defensive player of the year Anthony Tsegakele lasted just two weeks in France.

Friesen understands that his first few years in Brandon were about development, but soon he’s being paid to produce from the start.

“From a personal perspective, the better you play, the more opportunities you’ll have in the future,” Friesen said, adding he’s ready to take on the new challenge.

“The more you put yourself out there, whether it’s interviews with T-Cray (BU’s Tyler Crayston) or playing in a national final, those things prepare you for stressful situations in the future.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com