Volleyball

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Scott Neufeld recorded 759 digs during his five years at Brandon University, a program record when he graduated. (Tim Smith/Brandon Sun)

Three-time medallist Neufeld to join BU Wall

Thomas Friesen 8 minute read Yesterday at 10:09 PM CDT

Scott Neufeld joined the Brandon University Bobcats without a clear path to court time.

But it wasn’t long before the Brandonite was irreplaceable.

When the program was most known for its superstars from Australia and New Zealand, Neufeld quietly became the only Bobcat volleyball player to win three national medals.

On Thursday, Neufeld was named as part of the Dick and Verda McDonald BU Sports Wall of Fame class of 2026. He will be inducted this fall, along with his 2010-11 national silver medalist and 2012-13 bronze team, as well as the man who got him started in the game — his father, Kevin.

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Local Sports

Winman Volleyball Club setter Summer Cadotte has committed to the Assiniboine College Cougars for the 2026-27 MCAC women's volleyball season. (Submitted)

Cougars add Wayway product Cadotte

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Preview

Cougars add Wayway product Cadotte

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Thursday, May. 7, 2026

Summer Cadotte is going from one provincial champion to the next.

The Waywayseecappo product, who moved to Winnipeg four years ago, just captured an 18U girls provincial club volleyball championship with Winman in Brandon on Sunday.

She’s heading back to the Wheat City in the fall to join the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference defending champion Assiniboine College Cougars.

“It was a really good win. The whole weekend was really consistent. We’re reaching our peak right now, which is really good,” Cadotte said.

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Thursday, May. 7, 2026

Local Sports

Keyano College outside hitter Amanda Onyeukwu is transferring to Brandon University for the 2026-27 Canada West women’s volleyball season. (Submitted)

Bobcat women add Italian college transfer

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Preview

Bobcat women add Italian college transfer

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

The Brandon University women’s volleyball team has been slowly building towards a breakout season.

As one of their biggest senior corps in recent history enters their final year, 2026-27 is a massive one for them to finish on a high note.

So head coach Kailan Robinson is adding a proven veteran to her recruit class. Keyano College outside hitter Amanda Onyeukwu, an Italian import, is transferring to BU for her fourth year of eligibility, joining rookies Zoe Redekop, Kaitlyn Couckuyt, and Hannah Flaman.

“She’s a great addition for us,” Robinson said.

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Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

Local Sports

Kaitlyn Couckuyt and the Brandon Volleyball Club 18U girls will compete for a provincial title on home court on the first weekend of May. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

BVC girls win Westman tourney

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Preview

BVC girls win Westman tourney

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Monday, Apr. 13, 2026

Kaitlyn Couckuyt thought back-to-back provincial championships were great, but she suddenly sees a path to one more.

The five-foot-nine setter, who won two AAAA varsity girls’ volleyball titles with the Vincent Massey Vikings, led Brandon Volleyball Club to first place at the Westman Volleyball Club tournament on Sunday.

In the final, BVC defeated Winnipeg’s Winman Attack, the team Couckuyt feels is the best in Manitoba this year.

“It’s definitely our best (club) season we’ve ever had. We’re still going up from here,” Couckuyt said, adding the team started slow but has been rolling for a while now.

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Monday, Apr. 13, 2026

Local Sports

Assiniboine College Cougars setter Tyra Lasuik is transferring to the University of Winnipeg for the 2026-27 Canada West women’s volleyball season. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)

Lasuik makes leap to Winnipeg

Thomas Friesen 5 minute read Preview

Lasuik makes leap to Winnipeg

Thomas Friesen 5 minute read Friday, Apr. 10, 2026

Tyra Lasuik faced a tough reality a few years ago. Her dream of playing U Sports volleyball wasn’t meant to be.

It turns out “no” was just “no, for now.”

The former Neelin Spartan is transferring from Assiniboine College to the University of Winnipeg — her top choice when she finished high school — for the 2026-27 Canada West season.

“I’m really excited. I’m a little scared to move away from home and all the friends I’ve made in Brandon, but I’m excited for this next part of my life,” Lasuik said.

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Friday, Apr. 10, 2026

Local Sports

Neelin's Layla Desjardin has committed to the Assiniboine College Cougars women's volleyball team for the 2026-27 MCAC season. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)

Desjardin joins big Cougars rookie crop

By Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Preview

Desjardin joins big Cougars rookie crop

By Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Thursday, Apr. 9, 2026

The Assiniboine College Cougars finally reached the top of the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference, and Layla Desjardin wants to keep them there.

The Neelin Spartans opposite has committed to the Cougars women’s volleyball team for the 2026-27 season, joining Kevin Neufeld’s massive recruit class.

“I’m really excited. I went to a practice with them a while back and all of the girls are super nice,” Desjardin said.

“We scrimmaged against them a few times for club and school and I’m really excited. Kevin seems like an amazing coach, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

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Thursday, Apr. 9, 2026

Local Sports

Berube, Peake Cougars athletes of year

1 minute read Thursday, Apr. 9, 2026

Nathaniel Berube and Kylee Peake were named Assiniboine College athletes of the year on Wednesday night.

Berube led the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference men’s volleyball league in kills with 288 and kills per set with 3.65.

Peake finished third in women’s volleyball with 189 kills and second at 2.70 kills per set.

Both were named Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association all-Canadians.

Local Sports

Dylan Granger passes a ball during BVC 18U boys practice on Tuesday. The Wawanesa product is heading to Assiniboine College for the 2026-27 MCAC men’s volleyball season. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)

AC commit Granger learns from the best

Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Preview

AC commit Granger learns from the best

Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

Dylan Granger sees the best in every situation he finds himself in, and his attitude is already taking him a long way.

The Wawanesa product, in his fourth season with the Brandon Volleyball Club, is doing whatever it takes to help his team succeed for the next few months, then moving on to his post-secondary debut at Assiniboine College this fall.

“It’s great knowing I get to keep going,” Granger said at BVC practice on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a great group. I’ve done some practising with them and it’s been really fun so far.

“If I can get my passing down and a consistent serve, I should be pretty lethal coming in here next season.”

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Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2026

Local Sports

Grade 11 outside hitter Lucas Gamache celebrates a point during the Neelin Spartans volleyball season. The AAA provincial all-star is playing up with BVC’s 18U team. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)

Gamache, BVC grow through competition

Thomas Friesen 5 minute read Preview

Gamache, BVC grow through competition

Thomas Friesen 5 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026

The Brandon Volleyball Club 18-and-under boys have some giant shoes to fill this year, but they’re on a great path.

Last year’s 18U squad capped their club careers with back-to-back provincial titles, and now it’s up to a new group to defend the crown.

Outside hitter Lucas Gamache, who played high school ball at Neelin with a bunch of those players last year, is certainly motivated to keep BVC at the top.

“It set the bar for how I play myself and how I want the team to compete. It puts drive in my mind to play with more effort,” Gamache said.

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Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026

Local Sports

Kelly DeRoo is serving as interim head coach for the Brandon University women's volleyball team during Kailan Robinson’s maternity leave, which will end in October before the 2026-27 Canada West regular season. (Aidan Froese/BU Athletics)

DeRoo steps up for Robinson’s mat leave

By Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Preview

DeRoo steps up for Robinson’s mat leave

By Thomas Friesen 3 minute read Wednesday, Apr. 1, 2026

Kelly DeRoo is in for an extra busy fall.

The Vincent Massey Vikings girls’ volleyball coach has stepped up to lead the Brandon University women’s program until October, covering for head coach Kailan Robinson’s maternity leave.

DeRoo has assisted Robinson since she was named interim head coach in 2023, so she’s a natural fit to keep the team trending in the right direction.

“I’m pretty familiar with all the athletes on the team and I’m really looking forward to helping with their development from now until October,” DeRoo said.

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Wednesday, Apr. 1, 2026

Local Sports

Brandon Volleyball Club’s Tarron Basaraba sets during the BVC Classic 15U boys’ tournament on Sunday. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)

Basaraba grows game with BVC

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Preview

Basaraba grows game with BVC

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026

Tarron Basaraba didn’t realize it, but he’s been developing valuable volleyball skills off the court for years.

The 15-year-old setter from just outside of Forrest got involved in 4-H when he was nine, and had to deliver sales pitches to prospective beef buyers.

He also started working as a lift operator at Minnedosa’s Ski Valley this winter, which requires him to quickly and effectively communicate with hundreds of skiers a day.

Now with the Brandon Volleyball Club 15-and-under boys, he feels as comfortable as ever on the court.

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Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026

Local Sports

Tom Friesen was named a Canada West second-team all-star this season. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

BU men struggled against top teams

Thomas Friesen 7 minute read Preview

BU men struggled against top teams

Thomas Friesen 7 minute read Friday, Mar. 13, 2026

The Brandon University Bobcats men’s volleyball team won more matches at home on one weekend last March than it did in the entire 2025-26 regular season.

As a result, they’re watching the U Sports men’s volleyball championship this weekend, rather than defending their title.

The Bobcats went 7-13, winning just two matches at home. They took the 10th and final playoff spot and made a quick trip to Saskatoon, losing both matches to a 9-11 Saskatchewan Huskies team.

“We probably got what we deserved,” said head coach Grant Wilson. “We came in with the belief that we could continue to pursue the top half and give ourselves a chance at the end of the year but at the end of the day, with the turnover of key starters we lost and key leaders we lost, we had a really hard time finding our identity and a level of consistency that was good enough to put us there.

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Friday, Mar. 13, 2026

Local Sports

Cougars finish seventh at nationals

1 minute read Friday, Mar. 13, 2026

Anika Gulenchin and Celina Toews combined for 15 kills as the Assiniboine College Cougars won their last match at Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women’s volleyball nationals on Friday.

AC defeated the host Providence Pilots 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 16-25, 25-13) in the seventh-place match in Niverville.

Kylee Peake led Assiniboine with 12 kills.

The final, featuring the Edouard-Montpetit Lynx and Lakeland Rustlers, is today at 4 p.m.

Local Sports

Rookie outside hitter Brynn Wildeboer worked her way into the starting lineup as a stable passer and crafty attacker for the Bobcats women’s volleyball team. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)

BU women took small step forward

Thomas Friesen 5 minute read Preview

BU women took small step forward

Thomas Friesen 5 minute read Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026

The Trinity Western Spartans’ path to the Canada West final included a loss to the Brandon University Bobcats this year.

For the second straight season, the BU women’s volleyball team earned one of its few victories against an absolute powerhouse, proving when it’s at its very best, it can hang with the best.

However, for the fourth consecutive year, Brandon finished last in the 14-team league at 3-17.

Head coach Kailan Robinson was disappointed with the finish, as she saw the Bobcats’ ceiling and how seldom they reached it.

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Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026

Local Sports

Tyra Lasuik saves a tight pass as the Assiniboine College Cougars take on the VIU Mariners during their CCAA women’s volleyball national quarterfinal in Niverville on Wednesday. (Thomas Friesen/The Brandon Sun)

Cougars start hot but fall in quarterfinal

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Preview

Cougars start hot but fall in quarterfinal

Thomas Friesen 4 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2026

NIVERVILLE — Unfortunately for the Assiniboine College Cougars, there’s no such thing as a first-set knockout.

The Cougars threw the first punch against the top-ranked Vancouver Island Mariners, but fell 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-9, 25-22) in the quarterfinals at Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women’s volleyball nationals at the Community Resource and Recreation Centre on Wednesday afternoon.

“In the first set, if we played like that, we would have been just fine,” said Cougars setter Tyra Lasuik.

“They are a lot bigger than us and more physical. They definitely jump higher. They got more confident … where we started off super strong and slowly got tired.”

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Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2026

Local Sports

MCAC volleyball finals postponed

By Thomas Friesen 1 minute read Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

The Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference volleyball finals were postponed on Friday, due to highway closures prohibiting the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers to travel.

The Assiniboine College Cougars women are hosting the women’s final, while the Providence Pilots are staging the men’s final in Niverville.

AC’s first match is today at 1 p.m. Match 2 is Sunday at noon. If necessary, a best-of-three Match 3 starts Sunday at 6 p.m.

» The Brandon Sun

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