The Bisons women’s volleyball head coach Ken Bentley discussed the championship title, the team’s journey and their future without five key players next season to the Manitoban.
When asked about the national championship, Bentley reflected on the event. “I think what made this [championship game] different was just the environment we played in,” he said. “This place was absolutely packed.”
Bentley added that their success came down to several factors but that the biggest thing was that “they stuck together.” He mentioned that consistency and hard work also played major roles. “We’ve been really consistent. We’ve stayed together. We’ve continued to work hard, and we just stayed focused on this goal of winning a national championship we believed we could do it [and] we worked hard at it.”
He highlighted the significance of the junior Bison program. “We’ve been developing that for 15 years now,” he said. “Obviously, it drives hard performance, but it’s not only about that. I mean our junior Bison program is about opportunity, and it’s about just love for volleyball.”
Looking ahead to next season, Bentley acknowledged the challenge of replacing five key players. “It’s going to be hard to replace them in the short term, obviously, because they are all amazing players,” he said. “But that’s just part of the life cycle of teams and coaching at this level.”
Regarding maintaining a winning culture, Bentley stated that he already makes the players aware of their tasks and the goal of the team as they join the team. “The messaging that goes out to the incoming players, they have a certain assignment they have to complete for me before they get here,” he said. “I just really make sure there are no surprises.”
Bentley indicated the need for prioritizing academics even for players. “We’re not asking athletes to compromise anything in terms of their academic pursuits,” he said. “And just making sure we are properly scheduled, that I’m organized for them so they can organize their academics accordingly. And we’ve got amazing student-athletes on our team, we have high achievers.”
As for his coaching approach, Bentley remains committed to evolution and growth. “I spend a lot of time in the off-season engaged in research and looking at different ways to do better things,” he said. “As long as I feel strongly about continuing to evolve, then I’ll keep coaching.”
Bentley shared what it takes to coach a team to the national championships. “[It’s] having a sense of belief in what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, and sticking through it, and just having the tenacity to not change,” he said.
“I’m super proud of our group, and I’m just so proud of Bisons Sports for the event that they put on,” Bentley said. “I’m really proud of that too.”
