Candace Hueser sets up for the Huskies.

Last February, in the final weeks of the 2011-12 season, the Huskies men’s volleyball team managed a string of three consecutive wins, their longest streak all season. However, it only pushed their team record to a meager 4-16 on the season, leaving them outside a playoff spot.

Despite the team’s lopsided win-loss record last season, head coach Brian Gavlas believes the record wasn’t an accurate portrayal of how the team played.

“We played in eight five-set matches and won one of the eight. Five of the seven matches we lost were lost in extra points in the fifth set,” Gavlas said.

“It means we’re right there and if we can get over a little bit of a hump with our confidence and understand that we are capable of winning those close sets, the season will go well for us.”

The Huskies have been practicing since returning home from a team trip to Japan at the beginning of September. Fourth-year middle blocker Braden McLean credits the trip for bringing the right kind of chemistry to the team early on.

“The team bonding on the trip was huge. It was big step in the right direction for us,” McLean said. “Coming back from that trip it feels like we’re much more of a team”

The Dogs only graduated one player last year, Geoffrey Zerr. The middle blocker was named a Canada West second team all-star for his performance last season. Coach Gavlas says it will be hard to replace Zerr’s presence in the middle.

“Losing Geoff is a tough loss for us. He was a very effective middle player,” said Gavlas, who is considering moving the Dogs best spiker, Matthew Busse, who traditionally plays right-side hitter, to the middle position to fill the void left by Zerr.

Gavlas wrangled a few off-season recruits that should make an impact this season as well.

Most notably is Joel Dyck, a transfer player from Briercrest College in Caronport, Sask. Briercrest played as part of the Alberta College Athletic Conference, and during Dyck’s four years on the team he tallied 738 kills and 552 digs playing on the right side for Briercrest.

Matthew Erickson, also a new recruit, played high school volleyball at Saskatoon’s Centennial Collegiate but spent last year competing in B.C.’s PacWest league.

Gavlas is hopeful Erickson will be a core member of the team for years to come.

“Matthew Erickson is providing some depth in the libero position and will probably be our libero of the future,” Gavlas said.

“This group of guys is probably the best group I’ve been with in my four years with the team,” McLean said after a practice just a few weeks before the start of the season. “I think we now know what’s required to win those close games.”

The Huskies men’s volleyball squad will team up with the women’s squad for their season-opening road trip Oct. 26 and 27 to take on the Alberta Golden Bears.

This year’s Huskies women’s volleyball team needs only one win to improve upon last season’s 0-20 record. The record left the  squad with a last place finish in the 2011-12 season.

With the regular season commencing Oct. 26 the team will have their first chance to prove that they are not going to play like the  team Huskie fans saw last year.

The team definitely won’t look the same as last year, boasting nine new faces.

Jina Barker played against the Huskies last year as a member of the Winnipeg Wesmen, but transferred to the U of S in the off-season along with other transfers Carmen Dubnick, Tallan Black and Jaylene Koski.

The Huskies will also see five rookies enter the program.

Jennifer Hueser is one of those rookies. Hueser is the younger sister of fourth-year Huskie Candace Hueser. The siblings were excited about playing on the team together this season, but those feelings of excitement were put on the backburner Aug. 29. The girls were driving through an intersection in Saskatoon when another vehicle drove through the adjacent stop sign and hurled into the side of the Heuser’s car.

Fortunately, both girls sustained non life-threatening injuries. They were, however, both seriously injured enough that neither will start in the season-opening game against the Alberta Pandas, almost two months after the crash.

Jennifer is still in a neck brace to prevent her from causing further damage to her neck and back. She expects to get the brace off in a few weeks, but says she will require further rehabilitation to strengthen her neck and back muscles before she comes back on the court.

Sister Candace has recovered from a concussion since the accident and is currently rehabilitating her back muscles.

“It’s definitely hard being on the sidelines but I can’t wait to be out there with them [the team] as soon as I can,” Candace Hueser said. “Over the summer the girls have been training and working out. We’re really dedicated to the program and we will give teams a run for their money.”

Candace is one of only five returning players from last season, and the most senior. Anne Hanbidge, Kayla Tycholiz and Haley Williams are all returning for their second year with the club. Libero and outside hitter Lindsie Scott is returning for her third campaign.

With such a young team, the 2012-13 season might be another struggle for the Huskies women’s squad. They will rely on their returning players to lead by example on the court and hope that the squad can find some kind of rhythm with the new members of the team.

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File Photo: Raisa Pezderic/The Sheaf