5 days ago
Courting summer games glory
Manitoba punches well above its weight when it comes to women's indoor volleyball at the Canada Summer Games.
At three of the past four (2009 Prince Edward Island, 2017 Winnipeg, and 2022 Niagara), the ladies repping Team 'Toba have brought home the gold.
This year's group — which leaves Sunday for Week 2 of the 2025 Canada Summer Games (CSG) in St. John's, N.L., — doesn't need to be reminded of the province's recent success in the event.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Julia Martens says being ranked No. 1 puts pressure on Team Manitoba, but she and her teammates are going to do their best regardless.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Julia Martens says being ranked No. 1 puts pressure on Team Manitoba, but she and her teammates are going to do their best regardless.
'We haven't talked about it a ton, but I don't think there's necessarily pressure on us. It would obviously be nice to follow through and medal again, so, we'll see,' said setter Julia Martens, who guided Westgate Collegiate to the 2024-25 AAA high school provincial championship, after Monday evening's practice at the Sport for Life Centre.
'We're going in ranked No. 1 from the previous rankings so maybe that puts a bit of pressure on our team, but I think we're all just gonna go there, play our best, and we'll see what the outcome is.'
If anything, Martens and Co. are embracing a bit of an underdog role after failing to reach the podium at last month's Canada Cup tournament in Niagara — a tune-up event for many provinces prior battling it out in St. John's.
The CSG kicked off last Friday and runs through Aug. 25. Indoor volleyball action begins next Tuesday.
'We're not on the top of people's radars right now,' said Martens, who's taking her talents to the Manitoba Bisons this fall.
'Since we got the experience of seeing a lot of teams, we know we can compete with all the top teams. (Quebec) got third and we beat them (in straight sets). We know we're right there with all the top teams so it'll be fun to see what we can do at Canada Games.'
If Manitoba manages to medal, captain Jersey Hansen-Young will likely be a big reason why. The standout left-side hitter from Brandon capped off her high school career in style by leading Vincent Massey High School to its first-ever AAAA volleyball crown and an incredible 50-2 record.
Hansen will be joining Martens at the U of M.
'I don't think we were expecting to have the success that we did, and then, we kind of just got on a roll and didn't lose any games.'– team captain Jersey Hansen-Young
'I don't think we were expecting to have the success that we did, and then, we kind of just got on a roll and didn't lose any games,' said Hansen-Young on her historic senior year.
'We stayed humble the entire season. It was really cool to not be expecting to go anything like 50-2 like we did in the season, and then finishing it out the way we did, was really awesome.'
Hansen-Young believes the big-match experience she gained from her high school run will help her at the national level. Although the 6-footer and her teammates won't be one of the taller squads at the competition, she's confident they make up for it in other ways.
Hansen-Young, voted the No.1 Grade 12 player in the Free Press's annual varsity girls top 10 list back in November, also knows what to expect as her mom, Jolene, represented Manitoba at the 2001 CSG in London for beach volleyball, and her aunt, Becky, participated in indoor volleyball at 2005 CSG in Regina.
'We're a short team. We're not as big as most of the other provinces, but when we go out there, you can't tell the difference.'– Jersey Hansen-Young
'We're a short team. We're not as big as most of the other provinces, but when we go out there, you can't tell the difference,' said Hansen-Young.
'Even though we're shorter, we get up there when we're blocking, we get up there when we're swinging and we just have that little extra push because we are a little bit smaller than most teams. So, we just go out there and give it our all.'
Fellow outside hitter Anna Filippin-Buller — a three-time provincial beach champion out of Collège Jeanne-Sauvé — is another name to watch.
Filippin-Buller has committed to the University of Winnipeg Wesmen and will surely have some intense matches with Hansen-Young in the future, but this summer, she couldn't be happier to be teammates with the Brandonite.
'She's the calmest person I've ever played with. I'm a very high-low player, and she's a very neutral player, so, to have her on the court, she balances me out a little bit, so, I like it,' said Filippin-Buller.
'She's a great captain. We're on time for everything, like team meetings, team dinners, we're always together. She's a super inclusive person and a great leader for our province.'
'They're a team that really doesn't get intimidated, they just kind of go out and play.'– head coach Megan Bradshaw
Megan Bradshaw, an assistant with Wesmen women's volleyball since 2019, is the head coach of the CSG team and likes what she's seen from her crop of Manitobans in their two months of training.
'They're a team that really doesn't get intimidated, they just kind of go out and play. They play with a lot of heart, and there's kids on our team who will run through a brick wall for you,' said Bradshaw.
'I think when you can look at your teammate and know they would do everything they can for you, that's what a team is.'
Manitoba is in Pool A with New Brunswick, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The top two advance to the quarterfinals.
Taylor AllenReporter
Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.
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