The York University Lions women's volleyball team is back for a new season, and bring with them a renewed sense of optimism. 

The Lions went 6-14 last season, and while the record isn't what they were looking for, head coach Jen Neilson says the team took major strides with respect to team cohesion. 

"A big positive was around our leadership," she said. Amarai (Endes) and Jess (Reynolds) stepped into that role as captains, and you can really see their leadership styles shine with this younger group." 

Neilson says the team has had a great off-season and are back ready to compete for an OUA banner. 

"Last year really lit a hunger for this group," she said. "Athletes have come back stronger, refined some of their skills and the ball doesn't touch the ground without an effort associated with it now. That's something that's re-ignited the group to point us in the direction of an OUA championship." 

The jump from a six-win team to an OUA champion is a steep one, but with the OUA undergoing a lot of turnover league wide, Nielson believes her Lions are right there among some of the top teams in the conference. 

"The OUA is a brand new league this year," said the Lions bench boss. "I am and always have been a firm believer that anyone can win on any given day, and I really believe the OUA is completely wide open this year.  

"I think this group has the capacity to continually grow, and how far we go will be determinant on how much the team wants to come together, and how much we grow individually and collectively. I do believe this group can get there and make a very good run." 

The Lions recently took a trip to Slovenia, where they had the opportunity to play a pair of Slovenian professional teams. Nielson says the trip was a "once in a lifetime" opportunity that saw her team truly come together. 

"The intention of the trip was, 'how can we make this an unforgettable student-athlete experience,'" she said. "Team bonding was left to be very organic, which is a big theme of our team-building approach this year. It's really being driven by the great personalities and the great humans we have in our program, and I think this trip created those environments. 

"From a competitive perspective, there's nothing better than to show our athletes the next level and what to strive for," Neilson continued. "There was an Olympian from the Iranian national team, who was probably the best player our athletes have ever faced. How we managed her successes as a team was incredible to see, and will serve us well heading into the season." 

As for the group itself, the Lions have a solid mix of returning veterans and rookie recruits. Second year Victoria Herrington will be relied upon on top of the aforementioned Endes and Reynolds to take another step forward, as will Quincy Johnson and Julia Typa. 

"Victoria was a first-year who shone through consistently. She continues to develop her game, which I'm excited for our opponents to see and our program to reap the benefits of, Nielson said.  

"Quincy has such power and athleticism, that we're really excited to see what she can do with that. She's had a great start to the preseason with her blocking game and I think it's going to be really difficult for our opponents to get through Quincy." 

"Julia came to us as a middle blocker and is finishing her transition to the outside. She can put some craters in the floor, and has worked her tail off in the offseason, and we're very excited to see what she can bring to (our) lineup." 

As for incoming athletes, Nielson mentioned a pair in Quinn McTavish and Lexi Miller – both middle blockers – as rookies who can come in and make an immediate impact on the group. 

"They both have lots of speed, lots of athleticism," she said. "Both bring different aspects of the game, but have been huge, impact players in our matches thus far. Expect to see the middle position be a highly competitive piece of our team throughout the entire season." 

When dissecting success beyond wins and losses, Nielson looks hard at how she can best support her student-athletes in every aspect of their lives, both on the court and off. 

"My job is not just to win volleyball games, but to help raise incredible young women, and a big part of what we do is develop champions for life," she said.  "I think that starts with supporting our graduating athletes in their transition. Guide the Pride has been a big part of our alumni engagement the last year and will continue to be in its second year this year. 

"From an on-court perspective, if we get smarter at the game, grow our skills to match (and exceed) our opponents, and get consistent in how we show up and how we perform, I think consistency equals high performance and a big part of growth is becoming high performers in everything we do." 

The Lions open the 2024-25 campaign when they visit the Trent Excalibur for a pair of games this weekend. First serve on Friday is at 6:00 pm, and Saturday's match begins at 4:00 pm.