This is the 6th Annual Volleyball Manitoba Online Fundraising Auction. The auction is focused on raising funds for our various programs such as grassroots development, coaching and referee programs, along with our Provincial Teams, supporting over 60 athletes who represented Manitoba in inter-provincial competitions this past summer. An additional 130 athletes trained in our pathway programs in their pursuit of volleyball excellence.

Manitoba boasts a rich history of volleyball success at the local, provincial, national, and international levels. This tradition continued this summer as our women’s indoor provincial team claimed gold at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara, ON, while our women’s beach team claimed 5th place and our men’s beach and indoor teams finishing 6th. Manitoba has won a volleyball medal in every Canada Games since 1967, except once (1983). This is an amazing accomplishment for our Province, and we want this success to continue.

There are 40 different packages up for grabs this year! Visit the auction website below to view all packages and place your bids

We are excited to announce the return of the Volleyball Manitoba Grade 8 Volleyball Championships!

Dates & Location:

Friday, November 25 & Saturday, November 26
Dakota Community Centre – Fieldhouse (1188 Dakota Street, Winnipeg, MB)

Cost:

$350

Schedule & Online Results:

SCHEDULE (PDF)

SCHEDULE & ONLINE RESULTS

Eligibility:

Athletes in Grades 8 or Grade 7 are eligible to compete.

Participating Teams:

8-12 Teams per gender. Each Winnipeg school division will be entitled to a berth for the top team in their zone. Additional berths will be available to other top interested teams from other Manitoba school divisions or zones, then to other interested teams that finish 2nd or lower in their respective divisions or zones as space may allow and accommodate.

Team Composition:

Maximum 15 athletes per team (only 12 allowed to be listed on the game sheet per match), minimum 8.
If you want to have more than 15 athletes attend, please contact us.

Competition Rules:

• Boys net height will be 2.20m, Girls net height will be 2.15m.
• 12 Substitution ‘un-limited’ rule will be in effect.
• Liberos will not be permitted.
• Receiving the serve with an overhand motion using the fingers is not permitted.
• All matches are best 2/3 (3^rd set if necessary to 15, win by 2 in all sets).
• The tournament format will include a round robin plus single elimination play-off, with bronze and gold medal matches.
• All other Volleyball Canada rules will apply.

Official Volleyball:

The official ball for the competition will be the Mikasa VQ200W-CAN

Volleyball Manitoba Contact Info:

Anthony Roberts             volleyball.pd@sportmanitoba.ca              204-925-5912

Volleyball Manitoba is reviewing our Early-Signing Process and we’d like your feedback!

If you could spare a few minutes to take a short survey, it will help us better understand how our current Early-Signing Process is impacting our members and the greater volleyball community, and whether it is meeting the intended purpose.  Feedback from Coaches, Athletes and Parents is all welcome!

SURVEY HERE

Survey closes on November 4^th, so make sure you complete it by then!

Thanks in advance for your time!

Grad All-Star Nomination Information

In these early stages of the 2022 High School Volleyball season, Volleyball Manitoba is planning to collect nominations for the High School Graduating All-Star Teams.

We ask that all Varsity Coaches, from ‘A’ through ‘AAAA’, nominate their Grade 12 graduating athletes for the Volleyball Manitoba Graduating All-Star Team!

Historically we’ve asked Coaches to only nominate those athletes who they feel are truly among the top players in the province (in their respective ‘A’ through ‘AAAA’ designation).  However, because our voting procedures are now online and fans/spectators are allowed to vote, in the interest of avoiding some athletes being left out of the process, we have decided to encourage Coaches to nominate all of their Grade 12s.

Eligibility Requirements

– An athlete must be a member of a varsity high school volleyball team that is registered with the MHSAA

– An athlete must be in Grade 12 and assumed to be graduating in June, 2023

Nomination Process

Please email gradallstar@gmail.com the following information for each player you wish to nominate:

Competitive Division (i.e. Girls or Boys AAAA, AAA, AA or A):

School:

School Team Name:

Athlete Name:

Athlete Uniform Number:

Athlete Position:

Athlete T-Shirt Size:

If at all possible we request that coaches send along a picture of each athlete they nominate. These pictures will not be included on the voting form, however they may be utilized by the Selection Committees. Even a team picture with the athletes identified would be sufficient.

The Nomination Deadline is Friday, October 21st, 2022, so please nominate your athletes ASAP so they don’t get left out! Voting will commence on October 24th.

The Grad All-Star Event is scheduled for December 10th, 2022, the event will include a Banquet Breakfast/Brunch and Awards Ceremony, followed by the Games (location TBA).  Final details will be announced as they become available. The 4 Teams available include ‘AAAA’ Boys, ‘AAAA’ Girls, ‘A’-‘AAA’ Boys, and ‘A’-‘AAA’ Girls.

Call for Volunteer Selection Committee Members

The Grad All-Star Selection process is as follows:

Coaches such as yourselves nominate athletes. Upon the closing of nominations, a voting ballot is created and dispersed. Coaches and others cast their votes for players within their division. These votes are tallied, and a Selection Committee of Coaches selects and forms the two teams from those nominated athletes.

Volleyball Manitoba requires Volunteers to fill these Grad All-Star Selection Committees (1 Committee for each of the 4 Teams).  If you are interested in joining a Selection Committee, please let us know by November 10th, 2022.

If you are interested in being a part of the Selection Committee, contact Danielle Tabak at volleyball.events@sportmanitoba.ca

Committee responsibilities include
– Making final team selections based on voting results and forming teams from those players selected
– Selecting players for the All-Manitoba Teams and selecting an MVP (for ‘AAAA’ Divisions)
– Selecting the Coach of the Year within their Division

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Volleyball Manitoba Graduating All-Star Teams, please contact Danielle Tabak at volleyball.events@sportmanitoba.ca.

Congratulations Michelle Sawatzky-Koop!
2022 Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Michelle’s love and dedication to the game of volleyball brought her from Steinbach, Manitoba all the way to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Sawatzky attended Steinbach Regional Secondary School, leading the Sabres to at AA Championship in 1987. She also attended the 1989 Canada Summer Games in Saskatoon as a setter for Team Manitoba, finishing with a bronze medal at the Games.

Michelle went on to play her post-secondary volleyball at the University of Manitoba where she earned numerous individual and team awards. She helped the Bisons capture three consecutive CIAU Championships in 1990, 1991, and 1992. She was named MVP of the CIAU Championships in 1990 and 1991 and named CIAU Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992. As a senior, Michelle was named the University of Manitoba Bisons Female Athlete of the Year award for the 1992-93 season.

Sawatzky had a stellar international career that began during her time with the Manitoba Bisons, when she was part of the Canadian junior team in 1990 and competed at the World Student Games in 1991 and 1992. Upon graduating, Michelle joined the senior National team, with whom she won bronze at the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina and competed at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.

Michelle continues to be involved in the volleyball community as a motivational speaker and coach.

Michelle now joins the following volleyball individuals and teams as honoured members of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame:

Wezer Bridle (inducted 1988)

Garth Pischke (inducted 1989)

Dennis Nord (inducted 1996)

Mike Burchuk (inducted 1999)

Mary Dempster (inducted 2003)

Dale Iwanoczko (inducted 2007)

Ed Toews (inducted 2008)

Jim Schreyer (inducted 2014)

Wanda Guenette (inducted 2014)

Ruth Klassen (Inducted 2022)

1988 University of Winnipeg Wesmen Women (inducted 2008)

1978 & 1980 University of Manitoba Bison Men (inducted 2012)

1971-74 University of Winnipeg Wesmen Men (inducted 2016)

Tickets are on sale now for the 2022 Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame Banquet

The 2022/2023 Volleyball Manitoba Board of Directors met on Sunday, September 11th for the first time as a newly appointed Board following the September 6 Annual General Meeting, where the officers were elected from amongst the Directors.

Roger Labossiere (President), Michelle Sawatzky-Koop (Treasurer), Andrei Halkewycz (Vice President) and Tim Au (Secretary) all return to these roles that they also assumed in 2021-22.

We recognize the following Board members who will provide stewardship and guidance for the association for this 2022/2023 year:

President: Roger Labossiere

Vice-President: Andrei Halkewycz

Treasurer: Michelle Sawatzky-Koop

Secretary: Tim Au

Director: Jennifer Krahn

Director: Madison Minarik

Director: Gabrielle Wishart

Director: Kevin Neufeld

Director: Ted Redekop

Referee Director: Azad Hosein

NEW: Online Level 1 Referee Clinic

Interested in certifying as a volleyball referee this upcoming season? By becoming a referee, you will be able to help support the school, adult leagues or the club volleyball season. Refereeing is a great way to stay involved in the game and earn extra income at the same time!

The annual certification training for new referees is now an online process, after which individuals can start to get assigned for matches. The online process is made up of three course sessions and a final assessment, allowing individuals to complete their certification at their own pace!