The Canada West champion Winnipeg Wesmen men's volleyball team will have to wait a few weeks before raising its banner inside the Duckworth Centre.

Both the Wesmen men's and women's teams will open their 2025-26 conference seasons on the road, with the men's team getting a bye in Week 1 before opening its season Oct. 24-25 at Fraser Valley. 

The women's team, meanwhile, will open its conference play with a road trip to Regina to take on the Cougars, Oct. 17-18.

The home-openers will take place Oct. 31 as the Wesmen host the Trinity Western Spartans at the Duckworth Centre, which will allow the Wesmen to raise their Canada West banner which honours the men's program's first Canada West title. 

The Wesmen teams will play nine of their 20 conference games at home with six of those coming in the first semester. 

The annual Duckworth Challenge matches with the Manitoba Bisons will be played Jan. 30 at the Duckworth Centre and Jan. 31 at Investors Group Athletic Centre. As part of a new Duckworth Challenge format, all four volleyball matches will count towards the schools' totals in the annual crosstown clash.

The visit to U of M is part of the trickiest stretch of the schedule for Winnipeg, which puts the Wesmen away from home for four out of five matches in January. 

The Wesmen will close the season on home court against the Brandon Bobcats.

FULL SCHEDULE

Oct. 17-18 at Regina (Women)
Oct. 24-25 at Fraser Valley (Men)
Oct. 31-Nov. 1 vs Trinity Western
Nov. 14-15 at Saskatchewan 
Nov. 21-22 vs Calgary
Nov. 28-29 at UBC
Jan. 9-10 vs MacEwan
Jan. 16-17 at Mount Royal
Jan. 23-24 at Alberta
Jan. 30 vs Manitoba
Jan. 31 at Manitoba
Feb. 13-14 vs Brandon