Leah Brezinski began playing volleyball in middle school after being encouraged to do so by her gym teachers. By the time she was in Grade 9, Brezinski was playing club volleyball with the private Winnipeg club team Winman.

During her years at Sisler High School, Brezinski’s school team was not very strong but she also played with Big Sand Volleyball Club, and competed against many of her future University of Winnipeg Wesmen teammates who played for the Bisons Club program.

“There was a big rivalry between our team and Alix (Krahn)’s team,” Brezinski recalls. “I remember feeling very intimidated in my first year with Wesmen, because the other girls were all friends already.”

Brezinski, a biology major, chose the U of W largely for academic reasons such as the small class sizes and highly recommended biology department.

“To this day I think the science program is really good, and it’s fulfilling all of my expectations.”

Brezinski was recruited in her Grade 12 year by Wesmen head coach Diane Scott.

“[She] seemed like someone I would get along with and someone who would push me to be a better player,” Brezinski says of Scott. “I could tell she saw something in me and was willing to work with me to improve.”

Three years later, Brezinski is very happy with her decision. Not only have her skills improved every season, but so have her experiences with the Wesmen.

Brezinski is looking forward to the second half of season, and is hopeful that the team will make the play-offs for the first time in her career. The veteran team wants to come out strong next semester, and raise some noise in the CIS, she says.

In order to do so, Brenzinski knows what it will take: “Coming to every match ready to play, and ready to leave it all out on the floor.”

Published in Volume 64, Number 13 of The Uniter (November 26, 2009)