Assiniboine Cougars volleyball athlete, Kylee Peake, has been selected as an all-Canadian by the Canadian College Athletic Association. This is the first time that an Assiniboine athlete has been recognized as an All-Canadian.
The 19-year-old from Binscarth, MB, who is currently enrolled in Assiniboine's Business Administration program, is a key member of the Assiniboine Cougars volleyball team. She first began playing volleyball in the seventh grade, and was a member of the Major Pratt High School Trojan volleyball team in Russell, which won two consecutive provincial AA championships.
Kylee says the key to her success this season is "I really improved on my passing this year, and my defence. I love defence, it's one of my favorite things. And my attacking, I try to up my kills every single game. I want to have a higher kill percentage next year, and that's what I strive for."
"I always try to work hard in every game to beat each one of my stats from the past game," she adds. "Sometimes, it doesn't work out, but sometimes it does and it's very exciting trying to beat my own scores."
Assiniboine's women's volleyball coach Kevin Neufeld coached Kylee's U18 club team and recruited her to play at Assiniboine.
"What stood out to me very early on was her love to play volleyball. She was physically talented with a very strong skill set and desire to improve every day."
He describes Kylee as a "humble young adult who strives to be her best every match."
"Her biggest strength is she does everything well. Attacking would be her most noticeable strength but she is also very good in serve receive, defense, serving, and blocking."
"Kylee had a great season and was near or at the top in most statistical categories. She carried our team in some matches this season which allowed for team success. "
Asked to describe her fondest memory of the past season, Kylee says "It was the second half of our game against Providence. We were so, so eager to beat them, and we finally did it in five sets. It was one of the best games I've ever had and it was awesome."
Looking forward to next year, she says that "I'm very excited about next season. There are quite a few girls coming back, and I just want us to get better than we were this year. Work hard and keep growing as a team. Keep doing what we do."
Asked whether she feels any pressure to repeat as an All-Canadian next season, Kylee laughs and says "Yeah, I'm going to work hard next year, and maybe do even better."
Following graduation, Kylee plans to work in the Moosomin, SK area, but says that "One of my biggest goals is to help grow the game. I definitely see myself hopefully coaching or assistant coaching one of the high school teams around here. That would be super exciting for me."
For young volleyball players considering Assiniboine, Kylee has some advice: "Take the chance, because the volleyball is awesome, the coaching staff is incredible. The environment is awesome. I know my first year, I was nervous, but everyone made the best for me. It's just a great place."
Kylee Peake's Season Highlights:
2.91 Kills Per Set - Second in the MCAC 201 Kills - Third in the MCAC
2.58 Digs Per Set - Second in the MCAC 178 Digs - Third in the MCAC MCAC Female Athlete of the Week - January 20, 2025 CCAA Athlete of the Week - January 2025 MCAC Women's Volleyball All-Conference Team
MCAC Statistics (detailed): https://mcacathletics.ca/sports/wvball/2024-25/leaders
