Blondeau raises game with Cats

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This article was published 26/03/2018 (2929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Christyn Blondeau crafted her volleyball abilities at the club level in Portage la Prairie for three years.

However, after two years with Prairie Fire and last season with Storm, the five-foot-seven outside hitter from Gladstone went in search of a new program because her club coach moved to Saskatchewan.

“It was either drive to Winnipeg or Brandon and the Cats program was pretty strong so I figured I’d come here,” the 17-year-old said.

Blondeau, who played on the William Morton Warriors varsity girls’ volleyball team in the fall, has fit well into the Cats 17-and-under squad but admitted it has been a tough transition.

“It’s been very difficult, especially the skill level,” she said following a match on Saturday at the 17U Cats Classic at the Healthy Living Centre. “Moving up a skill level and getting to know the girls has been difficult but I definitely think it’s coming along.”

But Blondeau has resembled the perfect picture of calmness, something head coach Kellie Baker believes is simply part of her demeanour.

“She’s pretty quiet on the court,” Baker said. “I’m trying to get her to be a little bit louder and be a more vocal person but it is hard coming to a new program where five or six of them go to Massey together for the school season. It’s tough to come to a new coach, a new system of play, learn a new offence and have a new setter.

“All those things definitely come into play but she’s fitting in quite well.”

Self-described as a defensive-first player, Blondeau emphasizes digging up balls and being an intimidating blocking presence at the net.

As such, she knows improving her offence is important for her as she continues to work on matching her skills to the level of play in practice and on the other side of the net.

“At the beginning of this season we talked a lot about what the players need from me as a coach and a lot of her stuff is just coaching,” Baker said. “She hasn’t had a lot of feedback on what she’s been doing so she’s determined to take the feedback that I give her and use it, and even at practice I’m seeing major improvements all the time.

“We tried a brand new shot that she’d never done the other day at practice and she picked it up in like 10 seconds.”

Blondeau’s quick ability to pick up the cut shot Baker recently introduced to her is one example of her soaking up coaching directions.

“She’s been a great addition athletically and she’s like a sponge,” Baker added. “She picks up everything that you tell her to do and she tries it without any questions. She just trusts that you’re telling her something that is going to be productive and she takes everything literally and tries it to the best of her ability.”

Blondeau also takes advantage of advice from her teammates.

“They can see the court better than I can I think so they’ll tell me where to place my shots and how to improve my serve” she said. “They just help me all around.”

Blondeau, who aspires to play volleyball at the post-secondary level, thinks her multi-sport abilities — softball, basketball, curling and pentathlon, which consists of the 100-metre dash, shot put, long jump, high jump and 800m run — assists her ability to play volleyball.

“Playing other sports helps me with volleyball because I’m doing so much,” she said. “It helps me with building strength and agility, so it makes volleyball that much better.”

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