On the final day of the 2025 ACAC women’s volleyball playoffs, the NAIT Ooks took on the Briercrest Clippers. The stakes were high; an entire season of work came down to one moment. Either win the game and fifth place, or be eliminated.
In the final moments of the game, the Ooks watched as the ball sailed over the net and landed just inside the line, sealing their fate and sending them home.
Briercrest’s bench erupted in cheers and flooded the court to celebrate. NAIT gathered in a final huddle before shaking hands and returning to the bench. But as they left the gym, not a single Ook looked distraught about the loss. Instead, the team walked out of the gym with smiles and their heads held high. Because while the loss was certainly disappointing, the moment was anything but. It signified the foundation the team has quietly built over the last three years—one with championship potential.
From glory to uncertainty
Making the playoffs this season was far from guaranteed—a stark contrast to the peak of the program’s success.
The early 2000s marked some of the strongest years: They qualified for the post-season nine times from 2000-2013, Erin Kerschbaumer set the conference record for most kills in a season in 2005/06, and they won their first ACAC championship and made their first nationals appearance in 2013.
The team hasn’t seen the same success since then, and the last three seasons have been particularly disappointing. But after three years of hardship, the team finally made the playoffs.
And while it didn’t end how the team hoped, it signalled an end to three years of hardship and return to the legacy of years past.
The team’s journey to success started in 2021. Long-time Head Coach Benj Heinrichs had retired. The position was vacant for the first time in eight years, opening the door for Erminia Russo-Thorpe, former Head Coach of the program from 2010 to 2012, to take the helm.
But Russo-Thorpe was returning to a different team than the one she left in 2012. The roster was primarily first years, and only three players returned from last season. The team was essentially starting from square one.
Understandably, the team struggled.
“It’s definitely very defeating,” shared fifth-year Anna Atcheynum about how it felt in her earlier seasons. “You could see it hurt some girls, in the aspect of them just kind of wanting to leave volleyball and not continue on … I think it’s definitely hard on a program’s image, especially with recruiting trying to get girls to come here. It’s hard to recruit people to a team that’s losing.”
In two seasons, the team only won six games, and 2023/24 was much of the same. The team won five games and finished third last in the ACAC.
But there was one positive in that season: the Ooks struck gold in their 2023/24 recruiting class. Rookies Lexi Gedny and Egypt Trydal led the team in assists, and Tanisha McQueen led the team in blocks.
“When I first got there…I think we were definitely looked over,” McQueen explained. “I think one of our defining games was when we beat Briercrest, and it really showed us as a team that we can compete with these top teams.”
“It was kind of like a turning point…we felt like we were making a new culture.”
The Ooks entered 2024/25 with optimism. All the players were returning for another season, and several players were entering their third year, and the team felt like their fortunes may be changing.
The rise back
The team gained the last piece of the puzzle with the 2024/25 recruiting class; adding Rachel Mallet, Courtney Webber, Emma Buyar, Casey Gilmour and Madeline Smith gave the team a strong mix of veterans and talented recruits.
But it didn’t come easy, and Russe-Thorpe struggled to position the team as one to pick.
“It’s taken a long time to convince top recruits, someone like Rachel Mallet…that this was a program on its way up and that, given some time and getting everybody on the same page, we were going to be competitive,”
Russo-Thorpe said.
And by the third week of the season, it looked like she may be right. NAIT embarked on a six-game win streak, won 18 of 19 sets and entered the winter break 6-3. Only eight games into the season, the team had already won more games than they did all last season. The team was having their most successful season under Russo-Thorpe yet.
“I always felt [playoffs] were in our reach,” she explained. “I knew that if we could put it all together and if we could have that consistent level of play, day in and day and day out…with the talent we had [we were going to make it.]” NAIT entered the winter break 6-3 and on the verge of a playoff spot. Gedney continued to dominate in assists, while Mallett and Webber led the team in kills and digs.
Russo-Thorpe was “confident but cautious” about the team’s playoff chances after the break. The Ooks needed to place in the top three in their division to qualify.
They won six of their eight games in the winter term—including a five-game winning streak—and eventually landed a playoff spot with a win against Concordia. Their dream of a playoff berth was now their reality.
“Our team’s goal since the beginning of the season was to make the playoffs,” said Webber.
“We wanted to make sure we were having fun on the court and playing the best we could no matter the result…when we clinched, we cheered so hard in the team room. We were so happy to give Anna [Atcheynum] a successful last season.”
The future
The Ooks ultimately finished sixth in playoffs after losing 3-2 to Briercrest in the fifth-place game, but the result was not what this season will be remembered for. It will be remembered for the gains the team made on the court.
NAIT improved their assists totals from 533 last season to 692. They rose from dead last with 626 digs to seventh with 851. Two rookies were also highlighted for their contributions this season: Mallett won ACAC North Division Rookie of the Year, and Webber was named to the All-ACAC team.
As a team, the next step is nationals—and it doesn’t seem so unattainable anymore.
“We know the little things individually, and as a team, we can improve on, but I think the main thing we are going to build on is our team bonding …my expectations for next year are very high. I think that playoffs, as well as nationals, are very attainable,” said Mallett.
The team has work to do to make their dream a reality. While the Ooks’ younger players will have another year under their belts, Russo-Thorpe will still need to fill some gaps and recruit players that buy into the vision.
“We’ve set a level of standard and expectations…if people believe in that, and if you bring in athletes that are only accepting of a certain level of standard…I think it’s exciting.”
In the meantime, Russo-Thorpe has a simple message for her competitors about the program’s future.
“We are not going back.”
