The WolfPack’s women’s Volleyball team is heading into the 2025-26 season with clear focus and hoping to build on last year’s playoff run. After finishing 13–7 in conference play and advancing to the Canada West quarterfinals, the WolfPack fell to the powerhouse UBC Thunderbirds, a loss that head coach Chad Grimm says left the group determined to push further this year.
“We can’t just do the same things and expect a different result,” Grimm said about building on last year’s playoff exit. “We have to be a little tougher on each other in practices and take that experience to grow and not just try to repeat the same formula [from] last year, [even though] it was obviously pretty successful in the regular season.”
Heading into the upcoming season, a key asset for the WolfPack will be the experience of players. With their roster comprising a majority of third, fourth, and fifth-year players, the team has a lot of maturity that Grimm believes can make a difference. Grimm also pointed to the growth of players like Hale Ward, Kiera Gent and Myah Cressey, who are entering their third year, as well as all-star outside hitter Rita Erlalelitepe, who is beginning to take on a larger leadership role.
“We’re generally a more experienced group this year,” Grimm said. “Our former rookies are older now, and with players like Rita [Erlalelitepe] using her voice more, I think that gives us a good balance of talent and leadership.”
The WolfPack will be looking to improve their struggles on the road this season. Last season, the team was nearly unbeatable at the Tournament Capital Center with a 9–1 record at home, but they managed just a 4–8 record on the road. Grimm pointed out many of the challenges of travelling in the Canada West division, as well as the quality of opponents they faced on the road last season. Noting that those factors made it difficult for the WolfPack to carry the same energy away that they showed at home.
Looking forward, the ‘Pack’s main goal is to carry the energy and consistency from their regular-season games into the postseason and push deeper into the playoffs. Grimm emphasized that the focus is on consistency, rather than getting caught up in opponents’ reputations.
“We just want to be good at our jobs and push each other to keep improving,” he said. “At times last year, I think we worried too much about who we were playing. This year, it’s about focusing on ourselves and the standard we want to set.”
There is already one game marked on the ‘Pack’s calendar, a rematch against the Thunderbirds that the WolfPack will get to host at home on Nov. 7. For Grimm, the meeting is even more meaningful, as UBC is his alma mater. Beyond that, it’s also a chance for the ‘Pack to measure itself against one of the toughest programs in the conference and settle the score after last year’s playoff exit.
“I think we’ll look forward to playing UBC at home. Obviously, they’re always a tough opponent. For me, that’s where I played, so that’s my alumni group,” Grimm said. “We get to play them at [their] home, and it kind of left a bad taste in our mouth last year. So we’ll look forward to having ’em in our barn this year.”
With a veteran roster, an all-star leader, and motivation drawn from last year’s playoff exit, the WolfPack look to enter the 2025–26 season determined to take the next step.