Saskatchewan's men's team has a lot of momentum going into the Canada Summer games, as they are coming off a gold medal finish at the Canada Cup. (Submitted photo/Derek Smith)

By Nigel Maxwell

Volleyball

Team Sask. prepares to take the court in Niagara

Aug 11, 2022 | 9:00 AM

The indoor volleyball events at the Canada Summer Games in Ontario are scheduled to start next week, and a number of athletes from the Prince Albert area are playing on the men’s and women’s teams.

Ethan Smith and Brock Tomyn call Prince Albert home, as does Seanna Trumier. Noah Opseth is from Birch Hills. Ethan Smith told paNOW he is very excited to get on the court.

“We’ve been preparing for his for a long time so finally we are ready to go out there and see what we can do,” he said.

The team is coming from a gold medal finish at the Canada Cup in Calgary. Smith explained knowing what they are capable of achieving gives the team a lot of confidence heading into this competition.

“It also puts the X on our backs for all the other teams but I think it’s just really exciting to be in a position to compete for a gold medal like that and I think we can do it again,” he said.

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Prior to playing for Team Sask. the 18-year-old played volleyball at St. Mary and for the Prince Albert Volleyball Club. He admitted having the opportunity to represent the province at the national level has always been a dream

“I’ve always been working towards it so it’s pretty awesome to see it become a reality,” he said.

Brock Tomyn played four years at Carlton, and also played on the Prince Albert Volleyball Club. He said it’s an honour to be able to represent your province at the highest level, and added the team wants to prove they can compete with any of the other provinces.

“Being from a smaller province, you feel like you have a chip on your shoulder. So I guess we’re all eager to get there and turn some heads,” he said.

Tomyn is currently playing at Lakeland College and will return there after competing at Niagara.

“I believe we have a good chance to come home with a gold medal from these games, and I think that every person on our team has that mindset as well now,” he said.

Seanna Trumier, 19, also expressed her excitement about the games.

“We’re all ready. During COVID we could only train and we couldn’t play games so now its even more hyped up I think”

Trumier has been playing since she was five or six, and, in addition to her days at St Mary, also played for En Fuego, as well as the Husky Volleyball Club. She’s known the women on this team for three years.

“There’s been a few people who have come and gone throughout it but this is a very fun group of girls and we are super competitive together and it’s a very good environment,” she said.

Women’s head coach, Tracy Hazen, described the task of recruiting and assembling the team as a three-year process.

“I’m thankful for all the club and post-secondary coaches that have worked so hard with these athletes, and with us, to make this team happen,” she said in a statement. “We have an unreal crop of really amazing young women that also happen to be talented volleyball players.”

The first game for the men’s team will be against Alberta Tuesday morning, while the women play Alberta in the afternoon.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell