ANCASTER, ON - The Redeemer Royals Men's Volleyball team has begun their 2025 OCAA campaign with matchups against Sheridan and Mohawk, opening a season filled with optimism and clear direction. First-year Head Coach Wes Schilstra enters the year with one major objective in mind. "Our goal is to host a home playoff game, something the program hasn't done in about four years now," said Schilstra. The last home playoff game for the Royals Men's volleyball team was in 2022, a quarter-final, where they went on to advance to the CCAA National Championships later that postseason. Schilstra served as an assistant coach during that season. 

A strong core of returning athletes will play key roles in helping Redeemer reach that goal. "Simon Bourne, Jonah Heidbuurt, and Jack Demick are key returning third-year players who will need to take that next step if the team is going to be successful," Schilstra noted. Alongside that veteran presence, the Royals have infused their lineup with new talent eager to make an immediate impact. "We are excited about first-year setter Zach Brouwer and left side transfer Caleb Bosveld, who both bring a ton of energy to the gym and will be pushing for a starting spot."

Schilstra believes the Royals' depth will be one of their greatest strengths this season."We are older and more experienced," he said. "We have a lot of evenly matched athletes, which keeps practice competitive and allows us to throw out different lineups."That balance has helped the team establish a competitive environment that translates directly into their style of play. "You can expect us to run a very balanced offence; we don't have one particular player who is our go-to guy. We are aiming to be a scrappy defensive team as well."

Redeemer's offseason training emphasized improvement in two key areas, serving and passing, which will be vital to their success in 2025. "We want to improve our serving consistency to put ourselves in a position to let our block defence go to work," Schilstra explained. "Ultimately, we will live and die by the serve and pass battle this year."

Early matchups against Sheridan and Mohawk carry extra motivation for the Royals, as both programs have provided memorable battles in recent seasons."The home opener against Sheridan [was circled] as they beat us both games last year," said Schilstra. "And the games against Mohawk are also a battle with lots of fans from both schools in attendance."

Now in his first season at the helm, Schilstra brings perspective and awareness of just how competitive the OCAA has become. "...as an outsider (not coaching), I've noticed the league has gotten more and more competitive," he said. "You can't take any teams for granted. Anyone can beat anyone on a given night." That parity makes the Royals' team-first mentality and depth even more important as the season progresses.
"There is a lot of belief in the room that we can surprise some teams," Schilstra said. "We have a solid roster of 16 guys who can contribute on any given night, which will hopefully make it hard to gameplan against us."

With the season just underway, the Royals are focused on steady growth and strong team play as they aim to achieve their goals. If they can build on their early performances and continue developing their balanced, competitive identity, Redeemer could be one of the OCAA's most exciting teams to watch in 2025.

Redeemer is 1-1 through the first two games and looks to build on a dominant 3-0 win in their home opener against the Sheridan Bruins.

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