Season Preview: Kodiaks women's volleyball 2024

With nine returning players, the learning curve will be relatively straight for the Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks women’s volleyball team for the 2024-25 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) season.

“We have big goals and great athletes on this team,” said Kodiaks head coach Anna Schwark, who is heading into her ninth season at the helm. “Of any team that I’ve had here in the last nine years, the IQ is the highest, I think, overall. They are the hardest workers in the gym that we’ve ever had. It shows that they can achieve really, really big things.”

The Kodiaks are looking to improve on their 8-11 record last season, but Schwark notes every game will be a battle.

“We know we’ve got a small roster and it will be a challenge at times. The losses, when they come, we’ll have to stay motivated to keep getting wins. If we can stay healthy and keep motivated to make it to the championships, we can do better than we did last year.”

Kodiaks will be led by a pair of veterans this season in Aideena Wickstrom (fifth year, Exercise Science, Coaldale) and Taryn Bach (fourth year, Open Studies, Lethbridge).

“Aideena came to us as a transfer. She was out in Ontario before she joined us and we’re just really, really thankful that she came here and felt like she was home and wanted to finish out the rest of her career here.

“Taryn’s a local girl and she talks about being young and watching the Kodiaks in the stands and wanting to be here and be one of us. It’s just really exciting that she kind of made her own little dream come true. She’s battled some injuries, but I just admire her work ethic and her willingness to keep pushing as far as she can.”

Among the newcomers are a pair of Chinook High grads in Robyn Austin (first year, Business Administration, Lethbridge) and Asha Hurkett (first year, Therapeutic Recreation-Gerontology, Lethbridge).

“We've had Robyn and Asha around for a long time, so we knew we wanted them, and it really worked out that they wanted to stay home and represent the Kodiaks,” said Schwark.

They’re just the latest in a pipeline of local players the Kodiaks look to utilize every season.

“I think every year, the local athletes just get stronger and stronger,” said Schwark. “I know next year there's going to be a really strong wave of graduating players and a lot are going to be playing post secondary, which is really exciting.

“We just love recruiting local girls. There's nothing more rewarding than keeping a local girl at home, coming to the school and being proud of it. We want them to be excited that they get to stay home and play high-level, competitive ball. We’re really looking forward to the next few years, taking some more strong local athletes from the high schools around here.”

Complementing the high schools is a strong club program.

“A lot of those high school players are going to club ball as well,” said Schwark. “It’s basically getting exposure all year. We can be watching them all through school until Christmas, and then right after that, bang, club starts. We really get to see a lot of progress. I had a lot of fun last year watching just the club season from start to finish. There are some local athletes that we've been chatting with that just made some awesome improvements. There’s a lot of really good volleyball in Alberta, but in southern Alberta especially. I think coaches around here should be really proud of what they're doing.”

As for teams to beat this season, it starts and ends with Lakeland, who have won back-to-back Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) national championships.

“We know Lakeland is going to be strong,” said Schwark. “They have been the last few years. We know what the outcome likely will be when we see a team like Lakeland, because they're so strong, they're so fast, super scrappy. But we learn a lot, so it’s just a great measure of every year when you get a little bit better against teams like that, we know that we're doing something right.

“In the South, we always have a really good time playing Red Deer. It's another strong team, super consistent, with a lot of national championship wins with that program and great coaching. I always really look forward, personally, to being able to play Red Deer and see how well we can do. Sometimes we get that win, sometimes we don't, but it's always a lot of fun.”