Pellerin transfers home to BU

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This article was published 07/01/2022 (1536 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Marly Pellerin needed a change of pace everywhere but the volleyball court.

The Brandonite left for UBC in 2020, excited to start university life in the arts program and continue her volleyball career with the Thunderbirds. But whether it was a change of heart or simply listening to hers a little closer, she knew a return to the Wheat City was in order.

“It was ultimately a really difficult decision to make and very quickly seeing as it’s halfway through the year,” Pellerin said. “I was very homesick and really missed my roots, and came to the realization that home would be the place I’d like to continue my education and possibly play in the future.”

Pellerin called up Brandon University head coach Lee Carter in December. She played for his Cats Volleyball Club program and was one of the top players in the city with the Neelin Spartans. Brandon was one of four schools she had on her radar in 2020 — along with Winnipeg and Thompson Rivers — and Carter was happy to bring her on to practise with the team this semester.

“It’s a good three-month tryout for her to see if she fits with us,” Carter said.

“She’s a really super teammate from what we knew from club. She’s pretty physical, she’s got good size and moves fairly well so it’ll be fun to see how she does and where she fits in.”

The six-foot-one middle blocker grew up with the game as a focal point since age 10. Current Vincent Massey varsity girls coach Mike DeGroot got her into the game, and Neelin’s Lana Dubois took her to new heights in four years with the Spartans.

Pellerin returned the favour by delivering three varsity AAA provincial titles from 2017 to 2019. She was named MVP for each of the last two.

She racked up an impressive list of accolades along the way, including a pair of Neelin female varsity athlete of the year nods and The Brandon Sun’s female high school athlete of the year in 2019.

Pellerin said her year of training in Vancouver while the 2020-21 season was cancelled due to COVID-19 was valuable, especially since British Columbia teams didn’t have to shut down.

“The team honestly was so competitive. It was a really great environment, just to see the level of play and how different it is obviously from high school and club volleyball,” Pellerin said.

“… The players were so awesome at teaching me and Doug (Reimer), such a highly regarded coach, I have so much respect for him, was there all the way trying to educate everyone … I’m so grateful I was able to learn a lot from him. He was really great with how COVID was affecting a lot of things and trying to get the best out of us that year without a lot of competing or gameplay.”

Pellerin appeared in just two sets for the 3-3 Thunderbirds, one in each match of a weekend split with Trinity Western. She was still a first-year player on a veteran team and learning from older players.

Classes were online, however, and Pellerin said it was tough for her as someone who greatly appreciates those face-to-face social interactions with professors and peers that she entirely missed out on. It was weighing on her last year, and the choice to return to Brandon only became clearer as the fall semester went on.

She won’t be able to play this season, as the 4-2 Bobcats look to return to the Canada West playoffs for the first time since 2016. But it gives her the inside track to make the team next year, and interestingly, a few months to play alongside her former Cats coach, fifth-year setter Jamie Bain.

“I didn’t expect the year to go the way it did but I’m super excited to be back home and it honestly felt super good to be in such a familiar gym with a lot of familiar faces like Lee and a lot of the girls,” Pellerin said.

“It’s been a really inviting environment to be a part of.”

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