Hail Ward (Image Credit: Archie Golding-Left Right Media/TRU WolfPack)

By Marty Hastings

CANADA WEST

WolfPack feeling buzz ahead of program-first home playoff match, expecting slobberknocker with national champions

Feb 25, 2026 | 5:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — They have earned the attention that comes along with breaking new ground. 

Whether the TRU WolfPack women’s volleyball team is ready for the spotlight will be determined this week during a best-of-three series 21 years in the making. 

“I feel like we don’t see ourselves as the underdogs any more,” said WolfPack outside hitter Hail Ward, a Kamloops product. “We’ve been saying this a lot – why not us? There’s no reason we can’t be a winning team.” 

The WolfPack will on Thursday (Feb. 26) host a women’s volleyball playoff match for the first time since the program joined the U Sports ranks in 2005.  

Match 1 of the best-of-three series against the Manitoba Bisons – the defending national champions – is slated for 6:00 p.m. at the Tournament Capital Centre. 

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“Lots of my classmates who aren’t really involved in sports have talked to me about it and they’re congratulating me,” WolfPack libero Olivia Andulajevic said. “Teachers are very aware of it, too. It’s really cool to have that kind of support.” 

Added WolfPack head coach Chad Grimm: “You hear the buzz or you have people asking you about tickets and if they’re going to have to buy in advance. I think it’s definitely a little bit different, a little bit more buzz and interest from not just volleyball folks, but sports fans [in Kamloops].” 

TRU (14-6) and Manitoba (14-6) have met twice this season, with the WolfPack sweeping the Bisons 3-0 in back-to-back matches in November in Kamloops. 

“To be honest, I think that was a little bit of a turning point for them,” Grimm said. “They obviously weren’t happy with their performance. They had one of their key girls out, as well. Their second semester you could see with some of their performances they were maybe a little bit more dialed in. That last weekend right before the break is sometimes a difficult one, especially for the road team.” 

Manitoba is 8-2 since the losses to TRU. 

Ella Gray, the key player referenced by Grimm, is expected to play this week, joining a formidable lineup that includes back-to-back U Sports women’s volleyball player of the year Raya Surinx, who leads the conference this season with 315 kills in 20 matches. 

“I think they will come out gunning,” Andulajevic said. “They’re reigning national champs. They’re not just going to cower to us. They’re going to come out and play their hearts out because they don’t want to lose, either. We’ve got to be on it.” 

The WolfPack boast a deep team that posted the best regular-season winning percentage in program history and earned a momentous home playoff series, but they have post-season demons to overcome. 

TRU entered the playoffs last year riding high after recording a 13-7 mark in the regular season, only to be bludgeoned in straight sets in back-to-back matches by the UBC Thunderbirds in the quarter-final round. 

“Honestly, it’s happened the past two years,” said Andulajevic, referencing her club’s quarter-final defeat to UBC in 2024, also a clean sweep across two matches. “I think this year is a little different. We’ve got a more mature squad and we’re ready for the challenge.” 

Match 2 and Match 3, if necessary, are slated for 6:00 p.m. at the TCC on Friday and Saturday, respectively. 

“I would love to hear some loud cheering, some screaming and maybe some signs,” Andulajevic said. “That would be sweet – everyone backin’ the ‘Pack.” 

Added Ward: “I think they should be as loud as they possibly can, celebrate us and be respectful, obviously.”