Men’s volleyball’s Justin Peleshytyk talks last season’s changes, and the season to come in light of COVID-19
UFV volleyball was set to have quite the season this year after last year’s season full of positive change. They increased their wins and made the playoffs, and though they didn’t win, they proved that the team had some quality players that would likely return for the program’s debut in Canada West and U Sports. One of those players is fourth-year outside hitter Justin Peleshytyk, who became a favourite on the team’s rotation during the 2019-20 season. The team seems to have responded well to the pandemic, but like many, Peleshytyk says that for him, his concern a few months ago had more to do with COVID-19 than it did with volleyball.
“Well, our season had just ended. It didn’t affect the team as much — gathering and stuff. Obviously school was shut down, and we were just kind of all at home. It was scary from a regular perspective. Not even as an athlete or student,” said Peleshytyk.
COVID-19 and the new additions to the squad also impacted the summer schedule for the program, and as Peleshytyk explains, the team wasn’t functioning as it usually does.
“It was tough because we weren’t really meeting as a team to train at all. That was partly because of COVID-19, partly because we had such a large number of new guys on the team. We weren’t even allowed to be practising or anything. We were just being encouraged, wherever we were … to follow our workout regimes and try to prepare the best we could for the fall.”
The team was coming off of a 2019-20 campaign that was a large step up from the previous season due the team moving to Canada West and U Sports from the smaller PacWest conference. However, it wasn’t where the team wanted to stay, as they posted an overall 6-19 record that includes a loss in the PacWest championships. It was head coach Nathan Bennett’s first season with the team, and to make matters more complex it was the transition year for the program to Canada West. While that may have been difficult for the staff, as they had to logistically prepare the team with recruits and new game strategies, players such as Peleshytyk were very excited for the chance to compete at the next level.
“I was definitely excited to hear that the program was going to move forward in Canada West. I know that’s been the goal for the last while — the last several years. I think the program has gone through so many changes, and it’s gearing up for Canada West. It’s starting to look like a competitive program in that sense.”
The team has since picked up where they left off, but they had to adapt their habits to stay COVID-19 friendly. Most teams had to drastically alter their practice styles due to the pandemic, and programs such as volleyball were faced with even more challenges due to the sport being played primarily indoors and on campus. The team dealt with that and found ways to get together, and the practices showed Peleshytyk that the team has some great qualities already.
“We’re pretty goal-driven. We’re pretty motivated to get better and get stronger. It was tough because we were split into two groups for several weeks so we were apart, and then we regained our full team practices, and at that point it got really fun and competitive. Our scrimmages were going really well.”
There’s no doubt that this version of the Cascades will be fun for the supporters to watch, as it features a mostly new cast of ballers ready to volley. Though the team likely won’t play any games this year, Peleshytyk is keeping his hopes up high.
“It would be awesome in January. We can sort of get some exhibition games in. I’m optimistic, but it totally just depends on the public health situation.”
Stay tuned for more volleyball news, as the program will likely look to play soon if the numbers of COVID-19 cases begin to trend downward.
