Throughout his academic and athletic journey, left-side Spencer Grahame has rightfully earned a reputation as a complete student-athlete.
As a senior with the Lord Selkirk Royals, Grahame was a recipient of the Dr. Dale Iwanoczko Memorial Scholarship for his commitment to volleyball, academics and his community.
A Canadian National Youth team selection, Grahame volunteered some of his free time to helping coach Special Olympics, among other ventures. In the classroom he held an academic average of 97 percent.
Grahame’s leadership and maturity helped him fit in seamlessly with Bisons volleyball in 2021, and it’s been a skyward trajectory ever since.
An All-Rookie selection in his debut season, Grahame’s been a constant in the starting lineup, a team captain and a Team Canada U21 selection, among many other accolades with the Herd.
Statistically, Graham’s 581 career regular season kills are the most among the active roster, and he’s currently tied for the team lead, with 90 this season.
His excellence has extended far beyond the court. An engineering major with a focus in electrical, Grahame’s been an Academic All-Canadian every year, excelling in a subject area that he’s had a long-time passion for.
“Growing up I always liked solving technical problems. In school, math and science came easy to me. I just wanted to apply my skills that I could use, and came easy in the classroom, to problems that I could solve,” he said.
“Doing electrical, I took a hands-on course in high school to be an electrician, and really enjoyed the theoretical side. I applied to engineering and got in. I really liked the first-year electrical engineering course, and took off from there.”
Last term, Grahame’s courses included embedded systems and design, control systems, high voltage engineering and electromagnetic theory 2.
“I created a heart rate monitor in my electronics 3E course that I really enjoyed, and doing that process,” he recalled.
“The engineering program at the U of M has a really good balance between practical and theoretical components mixed together. It hasn’t been super easy to balance with volleyball. I’m starting to get to the point where I’m having to miss some practices and make it up with individual practices, and making use of the time that I do have in the gym. I’m very good at managing my schedule. I’m very organized, and I value that.”
Grahame’s commitment has been evident. Because of his course load, there’s times he’d be in the gym at 7 am with coach Andrew Jones and the team’s setters, working on the intricacies within his game during his free time from school.
Lately, he’s been grinding out passing reps, helping lead by example for a Bisons team that has 318 total digs, fifth in Canada West.
“You have to show commitment to the team in all aspects. Passing has been one of our biggest struggles this past semester so I’ve gotten in extra passing reps with [left side] Kai [Boyko] and I’ve gotten reps with [setters] Sammy [Ludwig] and Alex [Witt]. Having that support system of guys who are always willing to set the net up and get the box out in times when I have free time, and am feeling pretty good about school, is really good.”
‘It has to be aggressive’
A vocal leader, Grahame takes pride in his ability to motivate, encourage and get the best out of his teammates. He also backs up the talk.
Near the end of the first half of the season, Manitoba was “lacking a sense of aggression” in their play, according to Grahame. The message, emphasized by the coaching staff, was received by the players, including the veteran left side.
Against Saskatchewan in the final series of 2024, Grahame combined for 37 kills, including 20 in game one, the third-most in a game in his Bisons career. He had 77 total attacks over the two games, hitting just under .300 in an impressive display of consistency.
Grahame killed balls from all over the court, including the back row. His pipe attack has been a strength for a long time, thanks in part to the attention Manitoba’s middles receive in front of him.
“We weren’t killing balls at the rate that we needed to, and I think we shifted in that direction of okay, we need our outsides to just hit the ball all the time. If you’re tipping it has to be aggressive, if you’re hitting it has to be aggressive, if you’re putting over a free ball it has to be aggressive,” he said.
“Taking a little more velocity on those swings, and that mindset change that [head coach Arnd] ‘Lupo’ [Ludwig] really wanted to see was shown. You could see it from other guys too. I think over the Christmas break you’ve seen everyone have that shift of we’re good, let’s be good, instead of worrying about different stuff. It has to be assertive play and really going after it.”
The Herd are currently in a playoff spot, at 4-6. But they know that in order to ascend up the rankings in 2025, winning a two-game series is key. They’ve split against Calgary, Saskatchewan, Thompson Rivers and Brandon this year, showing they can go to-to-toe with anyone.
With 7-3 Trinity Western in town, Manitoba has a perfect chance to showcase their controlled aggression, and versatility.
“I think everyone knows we’re good enough. It’s just about that aggression piece in games, putting ourselves out there to succeed,” Grahame added.
“We’re a good team, and we’re well coached and we have a lot of support. We just need to do it. It’s easier said than done, but there’s a growing sense of belief that we’re going to get it done. It’s going to be every day, and it’s going to show on the weekend. We just have to will each other to do it.