It’s not every day that a brand-new program emerges for a school as developed as UFV, but here we are. UFV’s move to Canada West shouldn’t be seen as insignificant just because it already had volleyball teams; this is a whole new level of play.
To ease the transition, the Cascades have welcomed new coaching staff. Leading the charge for the men’s squad is Nathan Bennett. From a collegiate career, to a professional career, to Olympic aspirations, Bennet now finds his latest challenge here at UFV. As he explains, it’s been quite a journey for the first-year head coach.
Bennett played at the University of Alberta before having a 12-year pro career overseas. After that, he went on to even greater heights, winning a spot on the British national team. However, in the spring of 2012, with the Olympics looming, Bennett suffered a serious injury.
“I blew my knee out about two [or] three months before the Olympics in 2012 in London. I knew I was going to be a coach for a long time, [it was] something I’d been planning on doing. When I was retiring from volleyball, that was the goal,” Bennett said.
For many, a serious injury could dissuade someone from continuing on in a sport, but it didn’t stop Bennett. He embraced his new role when he began coaching at Capilano University in 2012, and has since continued his volleyball journey by coaching.
Though Bennett is new to UFV as a coach, he is familiar with the program from his days at Capilano.
“UFV always had a great facility. Their gym was nice in comparison to a lot of other PACWEST schools,” Bennett said.
He also noticed the growth of athletics at UFV in general, crediting athletic and campus recreation director Steve Tuckwood with his work on improving the department.
“From what I understand, these offices never existed before, so, brand-new offices and putting some money toward the athletic department, which is great. It’s going to take time, but eventually we’ll get to where we need to be to be competitive in Canada West.”
Along with the university’s commitment to its athletic department, Bennett said that the team’s eagerness to play and their display of respect shows he’s not only working with volleyball players, but rather athletes that are “all good human beings, which is great to see.”
With the team working together well and showing good sportsmanship, Bennett sees a great foundation for a program that will have to create its own new culture under his leadership. The year will be one of drastic changes, which likely will include the roster. That’s a conversation that isn’t always easy to have with a team that likely all want to keep their roster spots.
“To be honest, the guys on the team — and I was pretty clear — they got a one-year tryout. They’re ahead of everyone else. They have a one-year tryout to be on this team next year.”
According to Bennett, the team has responded well to the incoming expectations for Canada West level volleyball.
“They’re working hard and they’re doing what they can do to show me that they deserve to be here.”
When it comes to what Bennett would like the new program to be known for, it’s very simple:
“What I want people to talk about outside of our program is how we play. I want people to come into games, I want people to see that we don’t quit, we work hard. We’re positive, we’re helping each other, we’re supporting each other, and those are the types of things that I want people to see.”
Come see the new Cascades as they embark on their last PACWEST campaign this Friday, here at the UFV Abbotsford campus.
