All four Winnipeg Wesmen teams hit the road this week as Canada West conference play begins in earnest.
For the men's basketball team, the conference season begins before (technically) the pre-season ends.
The Wesmen basketball teams will hit the road and play the Brandon Bobcats in the Wheat City on Friday and the men will return home for a non-conference game against the Calgary Dinos Saturday at the Duckworth Centre.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
at Brandon, Oct. 23, 8 p.m. / Canada West TV
History: The Wesmen have won four straight against the Bobcats and are 22-4 over the past 10 years against their longtime provincial rival.
Your Home Team: The Wesmen will be led by first-team all-conference and second-team all-Canadian
Kato Jaro, the fourth-year point guard who averaged 14.9 points and 5.6 assists per game, both career-highs.
Last match-up: Winnipeg 96, Brandon 79, Jan. 10, 2026
Jaro's 28 points led five Wesmen in double figures as Winnipeg improved to 8-3 at the time. The victory was part of a seven-game win streak.
About Brandon: The Bobcats bring a few new faces to a team that finished 8-12 in Canada West last season, but most notable is the loss of do-everything forward Sultan Haider-Bhatti, who graduated after last season. Second-leading scorer Munroop Gill is back, but no returning players from last season averaged more than 9.5 points per game.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
at Brandon, Oct. 23, 6 p.m. / Canada West TV
History: The Wesmen are 26-4 over the past 10 seasons against BU, but the Bobcats have won the past three
.
Your Home Team: All but three Wesmen players return from last year's squad, including the team's three leading scorers
Jazmin Birch,
Raia Guinto and
Jennifer Kallon, who combined for 30.5 points per game.
Last match-up: Brandon 77, Winnipeg 61, Jan. 10, 2026
Jazmin Birch scored 18 points and had seven rebounds, but the Bobcats used a decisive 16-5 run in the middle of the fourth to put the game away and score their most lopsided victory over the Wesmen in Canada West era history.
About Brandon: Macaya Copeland and her 16.6 points per game return to BU as the Bobcats look to improve on a seven-win season that marked the team's best performance 2016-17 when the 'Cats went 8-12.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
at MacEwan, Oct. 23, 6 p.m. / Oct. 24, 4 p.m. / Canada West TV
History: The Wesmen have dominated the Griffins since MacEwan entered the Canada West in 2018-19 having won 16 of 18 meetings and currently riding an 11-match win streak.
Your Home Team: The Wesmen ring in a new era of sorts after four regulars graduated from last season. Only a handful of players remain from the 2023 conference championship squad, led by fifth-year setter
Tristan Arnold and fourth-year right side
Luke Lodewyks, who finished second on the team in kills last season and has tallied more than 400 overall the past two seasons.
Last match-up: Winnipeg def. MacEwan 3-0, Jan. 10, 2026
Lodewyks and
Aidan Hruska both knocked down 10 kills and the Wesmen hit .342 for the match in making quick work of the Griffs. Lodewyks also had seven digs and three aces as the Wesmen ventured out on a stretch of four straight wins and five in six.
About MacEwan: Limited to nine matches a season ago, fifth-year New Zealander Jarod Robert will be called upon to be the leader of a young MacEwan side that features 10 athletes in either their first or second years. Additionally, the Griffins enter the season having to replace their top three kills leaders from last season.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
at MacEwan, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. / Oct. 24, 5:30 p.m. / Canada West TV
History: The Wesmen have won three of the past four against the Griffins and are 5-5 in their last 10 meetings with MacEwan.
Your Home Team: The Wesmen look to return to the post-season for the sixth time in seven seasons with a veteran-laden roster that is likely to start six fourth-years on most nights. The foundational group of
Grace Vallis,
Brooke Duncalfe,
Emily Lavallee and
Ella Werbiski have each appeared in at least 50 matches over the past three seasons, and fourth-year student-athletes
Megan Kendziora and
Naomi Unger have both stepped into bigger roles each of the past two seasons with a combined 84 appearances in that span.
Last match-up: MacEwan def. Winnipeg 3-0, Jan. 10, 2026
The Wesmen struggled to mount much in the back end of the weekend doubleheader and had to settle for a split at the Duckworth Centre. Duncalfe led the way with 12 kills and
Taylor Cangemi had 14 digs.
About MacEwan: After qualifying for the Canada West playoffs in two of the past three seasons, the Griffins saw most of their starting lineup from last season graduate or move on, including MVP setter Payton Shimoda and kills leader Kara Frith.
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—With files from Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
