USask Huskies womens volleyball team with new-look roster ahead of 2024-25 season – Saskatoon [Video]

The message from University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s volleyball head coach Mark Dodds was clear at practice on Thursday night, proving all doubters wrong.

As the Huskies begin their 2024-25 Canada West season, they’ve been ranked 11th overall in the conference’s pre-season coaches poll after a less-than-stellar exhibition season and an 8-16 record last year.

“I’m not going to lie it was a bit of a bumpy pre-season,” said Dodds. “We’re a young team and trying to figure out what our identity is going to be, and how we’re going to play this year. Some ups and downs in the pre-season, but a lot of learning.”

The Huskies’ roster saw plenty of turnover in the off-season with key pieces like Olivia Mattern, Jolene Sibley and Devyn Ethier moving on from the program, as well as rising star Sophia Magus transferring to join the rival University of Alberta Pandas.

That’s forced the team to rely on …