Image credit: CFJC Today/Curtis Goodrum

By Marty Hastings

CANADA WEST

‘The only thing holding us back is us’: WolfPack women’s volleyball team digs deep in search of playoff success

Oct 21, 2025 | 10:34 AM

KAMLOOPS — Olivia Andulajevic said her TRU WolfPack can overcome the top powers in Canada West with a change in mindset.

“The biggest challenge will be us,” said Andulajevic, a fourth-year libero from Victoria. “Last year, we had a really great building season. Knowing now that we can compete with those top schools, playing and acting like that at all times — in practice, in the weight room — acting like a big-dog team like we are and are going to be is going to be monumental for us this year.”

TRU is scheduled to open the season with a pair of matches against the MacEwan Griffins this weekend in Edmonton.

The WolfPack had league championship aspirations last season after posting a 13-7 mark in the regular season to earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

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Title hopes were demolished in the Canada West quarter-final round, in which the UBC Thunderbirds swept TRU in Vancouver, winning all six sets in the best-of-three series.

“I think we can go further than we did last year,” said Hail Ward, a third-year right side from Kamloops. “The only thing holding us back is us. It was a tough loss last year. The hardest part is the mental part. When you’re that far into the season, it’s hard to stay in it. We’ve been working a lot and talking a lot about that so we don’t have that repeat again.”

Most of the core that helped the team to one of its best seasons in program history in 2024-2025 has returned, but outside hitter Brooklyn Olfert – who tallied more than 20 per cent of the WolfPack’s points last season – has moved on.

Ward said there is a competitive group of left sides endeavouring to fill the void, with Keira Gent and Lucy Millam and Lauren Junck among the mix.

“I think we’re going to be really good,” Ward said. “We lost a few players last season, but lots of our core girls are here and everyone has made huge improvement over the summer, so I think we’re going to be a super competitive group.”

Canada West first-team all-star Rida Erlalelitepe – a 6-foot-2 outside hitter from Izmir, Turkey, who had the fourth-most kills in the league last season – has returned for her second campaign with the Pack, along with 6-foot-5 Bulgarian middle Maria Dancheva.

“Hopefully, we can go to the finals,” Erlalelitepe said. “Last year, I was so sure we could do much better. It was kind of frustrating and sad to see, but now we know what we have to work on and we will push ourselves to finals again.”

Confidence across the league in the WolfPack’s championship aspirations is not soaring, according to a pre-season coaches’ poll that pegs the team sixth among 14 teams.

“I think we could maybe be a little bit higher, but I feel like a lot of the teams — that top five, six, seven – are competitive teams where it could maybe swing both ways,” Ward said.

TRU appears to be faced with a difficult schedule this season.

Of the three teams it will not play, none are ranked inside the top seven in the coaches’ poll – Brandon (14th), Mount Royal (eighth) of Calgary and Winnipeg (ninth).

Ten of 14 teams will qualify for the post-season.

“Most of the teams are all the same,” Erlalelitepe said. “Alberta is good, Manitoba is good, UBC is always good. We will go and try our best again.”