Kevin Neufeld takes helm of Cougars volleyball

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This article was published 16/04/2022 (1426 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Success has a way of following Kevin Neufeld.

That’s no coincidence. The longtime Brandon volleyball coach has taken high school teams to four provincial AAAA championships and left club nationals with a gold medal twice. He ran the Brandon University Bobcats women’s team as interim head coach in 2017-18. Neufeld was inducted into the Manitoba Volleyball Hall of Fame just a few months ago.

Now he might have his tallest task yet. Neufeld is taking over an Assiniboine Community College Cougars women’s squad that won just one set in the 2021-22 Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference season.

“It’s a new challenge for sure, that also creates some opportunity,” Neufeld said.

“For sure that’s a challenge when you’re in mostly one- and some two-year programs while the competition is in four- and five-year programs … It is a little different approach but I think I can go in and create a good team culture, make people accountable and want to work hard to be successful.”

The move didn’t take long from the point Jeff Maxwell stepped down after five seasons at the helm. The timing also works out nicely as Neufeld’s Cats Volleyball Club team is in its 18-and-under season and will age out after nationals next month.

Neufeld’s big focus is recruiting. He said he already connected with about 15 athletes this week. He’s looking at former U Sports players who might have stepped away and are better suited to the college game as well as college programs.

“There’s a number of people still in this area that have played a year or two of U Sports and looking to get back into school,” Neufeld said. “We’re trying to find a way to up the roster both with depth and the impact players as well.

“… If somebody wants an arts or science degree that won’t work, but there’s sure lots of classes, courses and programs that I think are really valuable to people.”

Neufeld is certainly prepared for the job. He coached ACC back in 1981-82, has worked with successful Team Manitoba squads in the 2000s and captured back-to-back AAAA provincial crowns with Crocus Plains in 2001 and 2002. He then captured the 2009 and 2010 club national titles with Storm, the club he founded.

His last championship moments were with the Neelin Spartans from 2010 to 2013, when he took a AAA school up to AAAA and won two gold and two silver medals.

Neufeld ran the Spartans more like a post-secondary team than a high school one, putting the athletes through regular weight training and more court time than most.

He expects a smooth transition to the new gig.

“I’m well-prepared for that,” Neufeld said. “I know the level and the Manitoba Colleges league has gotten way better in the last five years. There are really good coaches, (CMU coach and Neelin grad) Jayme Menzies for sure. They recruit hard, there are lots of really good volleyball people in and around that stay in the Winnipeg area but I think I’ve had enough experience and seen what it takes to play at that next level.”

Neufeld stepped in for Bobcats coach Lee Carter’s sabbatical in 2017-18 and remains connected with the BU program.

There’s a potential symbiotic relationship between the programs, whether Neufeld gets players looking for a more relaxed environment than the U Sports game offers or Carter has potential recruits that could use a transition year.

“We can work together, we’re not fighting each other by any means so that will work well,” Neufeld said. “That’s a really valuable tool that Lee and I talked about. You look at the ACC men’s team going on to Grant’s terrific program, he’s had some kids do that, that have really been successful.

“There are those one or two people each year that would really benefit from training and getting a chance to play a lot more. It all depends where Lee is with the age of his team.”

QUICK HITS: The Cougars also posted their women’s soccer position after the MCAC futsal season ended. ACC hasn’t announced a new hire yet.

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