The MRU Cougars enjoyed a highly successful weekend, winning seven out of 12 games across six teams. Four of those wins came on Kenyon Court, courtesy of the men’s and women’s volleyball teams’ victories over the Brandon University Bobcats. Check out which Cougars took home Players Bench Athlete of the Week honours below.
Players Bench Female Athlete of the Week: Bronwynn Davies-Neira (WVB)
The Cougars women’s volleyball team only lost one set in their first weekend series of the new year against the Brandon Bobcats, winning their Thursday afternoon game 3-1 and their Friday night game 3-0. Bronwynn Davies-Neira was on a roll all weekend long, putting together 22 kills on a whopping 65 total attack attempts to go along with her 18 digs and three block assists on defence.
Her best performance came on Thursday in front of a season-high 1883 fans on Kenyon Court. With MRU celebrating Wellness Day by inviting schoolchildren to the game, the stands were packed full and the cheers were loud enough to blow the roof off of the gymnasium. Davies-Neira played with energy, scoring 15 kills on a barely believable 42 attack attempts. She also dug out 11 Bobcat attacks to help the Cougars secure a 3-1 victory.
Davies-Neira stayed hot on Friday night, scoring seven kills on 23 attack attempts. However, her defensive dominance stole the show as she dug out seven attacks and helped block two more. As a result of her multidimensional impact, the Cougars won 3-0 on Friday night to sweep their weekend series against the Bobcats.
The women’s volleyball team will be back in action on Jan. 17 when they take on the University of Regina Cougars at 5 p.m. in Regina and live on Canada West TV.
Players Bench Male Athlete of the Week: Paul Dionne (MVB)
Not to be outdone by their female counterparts, the men’s volleyball team also secured a pair of wins in their first weekend series of 2025 against the Brandon Bobcats, winning 3-1 on Thursday afternoon and 3-0 on Friday night. Paul Dionne was a force of nature on the hardwood, dropping 26 kills on 49 total attacks while digging out 13 Bobcat attacks and blocking three more.
Dionne opened his impressive weekend with a dominant showing on Thursday night against the Brandon Bobcats, posting 12 kills on 25 attacks as well as nine digs and one block assist in MRU’s 3-1 win. That gave him serious momentum on Friday when his team needed it most.
The Cougars may have won their Friday night match against the Bobcats in just three sets, but only by two points each time and were even forced into extra points in their first and last sets of the night. Dionne scored 14 kills on a remarkable 54.2 per cent efficiency rate while digging out four attacks and blocking two Bobcat kill attempts. His composure in close moments helped MRU sweep their weekend series against Brandon.
The men’s volleyball team will return to action on Jan. 24 when they take on the UBCO Heat at 7 p.m. in Kelowna and live on Canada West TV.