MVB: Defending CW champion Alberta tops preseason poll

Oct. 18, 2023 - The drama of Canada West men's volleyball returns this weekend, and there promises to be plenty of intrigue if the pre-season coaches poll is any indication.

The Alberta Golden Bears will once again enter as the favourite, taking top spot in the ​ poll with five first place votes. The Bears took home their first CW title since 2015 last season, downing arch-rival Trinity Western 3-1 in a hotly contested final.

While the Golden Bears have seen a large portion of their championship roster graduate, their youth movement will be hungry to continue the winning tradition. The group will be led by star outside hitter Isaac Heslinga, who competed for Team Canada at the NORCECA Final 6 and at the Pan American Cup this summer.

"Leadership will be key for the Bears this year. We have a very focused group top to bottom," says Golden Bears head coach Brock Davidiuk. "A number of athletes had very strong summers in this area with their respective national teams. Isaac Heslinga was captain of Team Canada's Final 6 squad, Jacob Sargent was captain of Team Canada's Jr. National Team and Billy Johnstone was assistant captain of New Zealand's Sr. National Team. I'm excited to see how these individuals will step up to lead the team along with several other athletes who have been embodying our values."

While the Bears claimed the conference title, it was the TWU Spartans who surged on the national stage, winning their seventh U SPORTS national championship. The defending national champs placed third in the coaches poll and will be led by fourth-year outside hitter Henry Rempel. The Swift Current, Sask. product averaged 3.15 kills/set last year and is once again expected to be an impact player on both sides of the net.

While Alberta and TWU have dominated the CW men's volleyball scene in recent years, many eyes will also be on Mount Royal University this season. The Cougars ranked second in the coaches poll and also received five first place votes. The Cougars will be led by veteran outside hitter Chris Byam, who was named a First Team All-Canadian last season and is coming off a summer spent with the Next Gen Canadian National Team.

The UBC Thunderbirds took fourth place in the poll and had a first place vote, and will turn to sophomore Conaire Taub for another big season. Named to both the CW and U SPORTS All-Rookie Teams, Taub quickly established himself by leading the team with 127 kills.

The Winnipeg Wesmen rounded out the top five, led by key returnee Nigel Nielsen. The Wesmen have beefed up at attacking positions, but Nielsen is the returnee with the most kilometres under his belt and was seventh in the country in kills a season ago.

Calgary placed sixth but also received a first place vote. The Dinos will look to third-year middle Louis Kunstmann to lead one of the conference's stingiest defences.

The action begins Friday with a full slate of six games, including a showdown between MRU and UBC.

For the complete schedule, click here.

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ON CANADA WEST TV

Fans can catch all the action through the new look CanadaWest.TV, which now allows fans to watch games on popular Connected TV apps like Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.

2023-24 CW MVB PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Team - Points (First-place votes)