Canada calls volleyball pair

Two of the province’s brightest young volleyball stars are taking their game international.

Left side Kai Boyko, who recently completed his rookie season with the University of Manitoba Bisons, and highly touted Vincent Massey (Winnipeg) right side Owen Weekes have been named to the 14-player roster for Canada’s U21 national men’s team.

The U21 squad will train at the national team training centre in Gatineau, Que., from April 28 to June 8 before travelling to the NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship in Nogales, Mexico, June 9-17. The event serves as a qualifier for the 2025 world championship.

Weekes, who recently committed to play for the Bisons this fall, completed an online application for the team by submitting a five-minute video with highlight examples of his hitting, blocking and serving and also a full game video — choosing Massey’s provincial final victory over the Dakota Lancers.

“One of the things I was most nervous about was since it was the U21s, most of the guys on the team are 2005-born players and in university,” said Weekes, who was born in 2006 and won’t turn 18 until July. “Most of the highlights and video that they had were against university players, with harder competition and blocking. I was kind of thinking maybe my film isn’t as strong as theirs because I’m facing smaller blocks.”

U21 head coach Dan Lewis, a former U of M player himself, will trim his roster to 12 players for the trip to Mexico.

“Weekes will be the youngest guy,” said Lewis. “It will be interesting to see how he reacts to the better players. Does he shy away, does he wait or does he just come out and attack and be aggressive?”

Weekes said the U21 nats have been on his radar for more than two years.

“It’s exciting because I’m going to get a chance to work with guys who are so talented and good that you’re going to get so much better when you face harder serving and blocking and stuff like that,” he said. “It only makes you better.”

Lewis coached Boyko for three months in 2023 as part of Volleyball Canada’s National Excellence Program.

“Kai’s a really good competitor, he’s physical and I’m happy to have him in the gym,” said Lewis. “Owen I don’t know as well. I scouted him in Ontario this past winter. He has the type of body and and shoulder that you want in the gym and it’s just a matter of, ‘OK, if you want to play at the next level, here’s what it takes. Here’s your first exposure to it.”

Weeks, who has clearance to join his Junior Bisons team for the Canadian club nationals May 18-22, said he decided from a number of U Sports scholarship offers to play U of M head coach Lupo Ludwig.

“It came down to a few schools, but what I was always thinking about when I was on visits other schools was I always comparing it to U of M,” said Weekes. “After I made my decision I’m super happy with it. I’ve gotten to know lots of the older guys on the team and the coaching staff and just being at home is going to be so awesome.”

Lewis said the 6-7 Weekes won’t have a size advantage in the international game.

“Weekes plays a position that’s called opposite, basically,” said Lewis. “He’s really an offensive weapon. He’s there to be a big server, big blocker, big spiker. He’s used to hit you out of trouble a lot of times.”

The 6-5 Boyko, meanwhile, is considered undersized.

“Volleyball got to be a big man’s sport but right now it’s changing,” said Lewis. “It’s going through a bit of an evolution and all these technical things are coming back into the forefront of volleyball. So there’s a nice window for guys his size.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca