VB: Canada West unveils Volleyball All-Star and All-Rookie Teams
Feb. 25, 2026 - A balanced field of veteran standouts and emerging talent highlighted the 2025-26 Canada West volleyball season, as the conference has unveiled its men’s and women’s All-Star and All-Rookie teams.
From repeat selections to breakout first-year performers, the honourees reflect another season of tremendous depth and parity across both men's and women's competition.
The postseason hits high gear this weekend, with best-of-three quarter-final series taking place across the conference. Fans can keep up with all playoff action on WinTheWest.ca, a dedicated site featuring playoff schedules, recaps and highlights from all matches.
Fans can ensure they don't miss a moment of the action by streaming all matches on Canada West TV - Powered by BioSteel.
The conference will announce its major award recipients for volleyball on Wednesday, March 4.
WVB | Familiar names lead All-Star selections
Canada West women’s volleyball once again featured strong balance across the conference in 2025-26, with eight schools represented on the all-star teams and seven more student-athletes recognized on the all-rookie squad.
Manitoba was again front and centre on the first team, led by Raya Surinx, who capped another dominant season. The back-to-back CW Player of the Year led the conference with 315 total kills and averaged 4.50 kills per set, while also pacing Canada West with 0.66 aces per set. The fourth-year now owns three consecutive first team all-star nods and has been named an all-star in every season of her Canada West career.
Surinx was joined on the first team by her Bisons teammate Eve Catojo. The dynamic middle led the conference with 1.30 blocks per set and also ranked among the top three hitters by efficiency, highlighting her impact at both ends of the net.
Trinity Western placed two familiar faces on the first team in Maryn Boldon and Kaylee Plouffe. Boldon earned first team honours for the second straight season after finishing third in kills per set at 3.81 and fourth in total kills with 267. Plouffe collected her third consecutive Canada West all-star selection, finishing seventh in kills-per-set with 3.37 while also ranking seventh in total aces with 33.
UBC outside hitter Lucy Borowski also repeated as a first team selection. The fifth-year finished second in the conference with 283 total kills and helped drive the league’s most prolific offence, as the Thunderbirds led Canada West with 12.83 kills per set.
Alberta’s Abby Guezen moved up to the first team after a second team nod last season, finishing second in the conference in kills per set at 3.90. She was joined by teammate Justine Kolody, who earned her second straight first team selection after another steady season running the Pandas offence.
The second team featured several returning all-stars and repeat performers. Thompson Rivers outside hitter Rida Erlalelitepe earned a second straight all-star nod after another strong season on the pins, while Saskatchewan’s Taryn Hannah also returned to the second team following her selection a year ago. Alberta placed two middles on the second team in Ronnie Dickson and Allie Moore. Dickson ranked second in the conference in blocks per set at 1.16, while Moore followed closely at 1.15 and led Canada West in hitting percentage at .406, marking her second consecutive all-star appearance.
Winnipeg outside hitter Brooke Duncalfe finished fifth in the conference in both kills per set at 3.56 and total kills with 256, earning her first Canada West all-star selection. Fraser Valley’s Talia Attieh also joined the second team after another productive season on the right side.
At setter, Thompson Rivers’ Libby Meldrum led the conference with 9.80 assists per set, earning second team recognition after guiding the WolfPack to a strong finish and home-court advantage in the playoffs.
The next generation of talent was on full display on the all-rookie team, with seven student-athletes from six schools earning recognition. Calgary led the way with a pair of selections in outside hitters Leni Blanke and Kalyssa Komori. Winnipeg’s Anna Filippin-Buller and Alberta’s Sara Gray were also named after strong first-year debuts on the pins.
Trinity Western middle London Krahn and UBCO middle Ali Rathlef earned rookie honours at the net, with Rathlef also ranking second in the conference in hitting percentage. Manitoba setter Julia Martens rounded out the team after a strong debut season.
MVB | Heavy hitters headline All-Star teams
Canada West men’s volleyball once again showcased tremendous parity in 2025-26, powered by superstar heavy hitters at the top of the conference.
The first team is headlined by Trinity Western outside hitter Kaden Schmidt, who led the circuit with 380 kills and averaged a Canada West-best 5.00 kills per set, more than a full kill per set clear of the field. Saskatchewan’s Emmett Graham finished second in the category with 3.83 kills per set, continuing his strong play after a first team appearance last season.
Alberta outside hitter Jacob Sargent earned first team honours after leading the Golden Bears offence with 249 total kills, while UBC outside hitter Reeve Gingera was the key offensive driver to the conference's most dominant regular-season squad.
At setter, Mason Greves of UBC had a stellar senior season, moving into second all-time in the conference's record books for career assists. He led the conference in assists per set at 10.68, while also ranking second in digs per set (2.17) and finishing fourth overall in total digs with 141. He was joined on the first team by Trinity Western setter Anselm Rein, who led Canada West in aces per set, and UBCO’s Zach van Geel, who anchored one of the league’s most efficient offences.
The second team also featured several of the conference’s most effective attackers and middle blockers. Brandon outside hitter Tom Friesen finished fifth in total kills with 244, while Mount Royal rookie Kale Orr delivered one of the breakout performances of the season. The Magrath, Alta. product ranked third in kills per set (3.55) and third in total kills (259), becoming the lone player to earn both all-star and all-rookie honours.
Manitoba’s Jordy Heppner led all Canada West players in hitting percentage at .455, while fellow middle Cory Schoenherr of TWU followed closely at .453. Jonah Dueck was a force at the net for the Bisons, leading the conference in blocks per set at 1.29. UBCO middle Thys Weststrate ranked second in blocks per set at 1.19, helping the Heat become a mainstay in the national rankings. Alberta’s Trent Cherewaty rounded out the middle selections, returning to the all-star list after another consistent campaign.
The all-rookie team highlighted a strong incoming class across the conference. Brandon’s Ethan Baraniuk and Calgary setter Matthew Brown earned recognition alongside Fraser Valley libero Yahia Elsayed and Thompson Rivers middle/opposite Daniel Hitchens. UBC libero Parker Ocampo was also named to the squad, while Mount Royal placed two first-year standouts on the team in Orr and Kai Toney.
Canada West Women's Volleyball All-Star and All-Rookie Teams
2025-26 CW Women's Volleyball - First Team All-Stars
Maryn Boldon / OH / Trinity Western Spartans / 4th Year / Okotoks, Alta.
Lucy Borowski / OH / UBC Thunderbirds / 5th Year / Vancouver, B.C.
Eve Catojo / Middle / Manitoba Bisons / 5th Year / Winnipeg, Man.
Abby Guezen / OH / Alberta Pandas / 3rd Year / Sherwood Park, Alta.
Justine Kolody / Setter / Alberta Pandas / 5th Year / Winnipeg, Man.
Kaylee Plouffe / OH / Trinity Western Spartans / 5th Year / Sherwood Park, Alta.
Raya Surinx / Left Side / Manitoba Bisons / 4th Year / Winnipeg, Man.
2025-26 CW Women's Volleyball - Second Team All-Stars
Talia Attieh / OH / Fraser Valley Cascades / 4th Year / Surrey, B.C.
Ronnie Dickson / Middle / Alberta Pandas / 3rd Year / Edmonton, Alta.
Brooke Duncalfe / OH / Winnipeg Wesmen / 3rd Year / Winnipeg, Man.
Rida Erlalelitepe / OH / Thompson Rivers WolfPack / 2nd Year / Izmir, Turkey
Taryn Hannah / OH / Saskatchewan Huskies / 4th Year / North Battleford, Sask.
Libby Meldrum / Setter / Thompson Rivers WolfPack / 4th Year / North Vancouver, B.C.
Allie Moore / Middle / Alberta Pandas / 4th Year / Sherwood Park, Alta.
2025-26 CW Women's Volleyball - All-Rookie Team
Leni Blanke / OH / Calgary Dinos / 1st Year / Calgary, Alta.
Anna Filippin-Buller / OH / Winnipeg Wesmen / 1st Year / Winnipeg, Man.
Sara Gray / OH / Alberta Pandas / 1st Year / Saskatoon, Sask.
London Krahn / Middle / Trinity Western Spartans / 1st Year / Abbotsford, B.C.
Kalyssa Komori / OH / Calgary Dinos / 1st Year / Calgary, Alta.
Julia Martens / Setter / Manitoba Bisons / 1st Year / Winnipeg, Man.
Ali Rathlef / Middle / UBCO Heat / 1st Year / Vancouver, B.C.
Canada West Men's Volleyball All-Star and All-Rookie Teams
2025-26 CW Men's Volleyball - First Team All-Stars
Reeve Gingera / OH / UBC Thunderbirds / 4th Year / Calgary, Alta.
Emmett Graham / OH / Saskatchewan Huskies / 5th Year / Saskatoon, Sask.
Mason Greves / Setter / UBC Thunderbirds / 5th Year / Calgary, Alta.
Anselm Rein / Setter / Trinity Western Spartans / 5th Year / Erfurt, Germany
Jacob Sargent / OH / Alberta Golden Bears / 4th Year / Lethbridge, Alta.
Kaden Schmidt / OH / Trinity Western Spartans / 4th Year / Mississauga, Ont.
Zach van Geel / Setter / UBCO Heat / 5th Year / Calgary, Alta.
2025-26 CW Men's Volleyball - Second Team All-Stars
Trent Cherewaty / Middle / Alberta Golden Bears / 3rd Year / Mulmur, Ont.
Jonah Dueck / Middle / Manitoba Bisons / 5th Year / Rosenort, Man.
Tom Friesen / OH / Brandon Bobcats / 5th Year / Reinfeld, Man.
Jordy Heppner / Middle / Manitoba Bisons / 4th Year / Winnipeg, Man.
Kale Orr / OH / Mount Royal Cougars / 1st Year / Magrath, Alta.
Cory Schoenherr / Middle / Trinity Western Spartans / 5th Year / Waterloo, Ont.
Thys Weststrate / Middle / UBCO Heat / 4th Year / Kelowna, B.C.
2025-26 CW Men's Volleyball - All-Rookie Team
Ethan Baraniuk / OH / Brandon Bobcats / 1st Year / Brandon, Man.
Matthew Brown / Setter / Calgary Dinos / 1st Year / Sunnyside, Man.
Yahia Elsayed / Libero / Fraser Valley Cascades / 1st Year / Oakville, Ont.
Daniel Hitchens / Middle Opposite / Thompson Rivers WolfPack / 1st Year / Tauranga, NZ
Parker Ocampo / Libero / UBC Thunderbirds / 1st Year / Oakville, Ont.
Kale Orr / OH / Mount Royal Cougars / 1st Year / Magrath, Alta.
Kai Toney / OH / Mount Royal Cougars / 1st Year / Winnipeg, Man.