Men's Volleyball's Dulder Calls it a College Coaching Career
Dulder congratulates his team after a point at the 2025 CCAA Men's Volleyball Nationals
Long time men's volleyball head coach Don Dulder has decided to call it a career after enjoying many successes with the Blazers over his 11 years with CMU that saw the seasoned coach turn the program into a perennial powerhouse in the MCAC and beyond.
A local coaching legend in his own right prior to joining CMU in 2014, his coaching resume included eight provincial AA championships with Southern Manitoba's Niverville Collegiate. His Niverville teams were the only AA school to move up to the "AAAA" level eight years in a row, making the Final Fours twice. Don was the zone 13 MHSAA zone president for over 20 years while teaching and coaching at Niverville Collegiate. In 2009 he was selected as the MHSAA Coach of the year, and in 2006 he was inducted into the Manitoba Volleyball Honour Society.
At the club level, Dulder's Winman 18U club teams won bronze, silver, and gold at Nationals. His 2013 National Championship team was selected as the MVA team of the year and Don was selected as the coach of the year, winning the Mary Jane England Elite Coach of the year award. In 2022, Dulder was inducted into the Manitoba Volleyball Hall of Fame for his coaching pursuits and successes.
Following his succession of the head coaching position at CMU, Dulder led the Blazers volleyball program to their first finals appearance in a major Canadian college preseason tournament in 2017, at the Seneca Sting Challenge in Toronto Ontario. Later that season his Blazers squad won their first MCAC Championship, and was subsequently named the MCAC Coach of the Year. Dulder led his CMU Blazers teams to defend their MCAC Championship title in 2018, adding a third in 2020, and another back-back title in 2022 following the COVID-cancelled 2021 championships. His 2021-22 squad became the first ever representatives of the MCAC to compete in men's volleyball at the CCAA National Championships, held in Quebec City that season. Dulder's teams have featured in the MCAC Finals every year since their 2017 championship win, and have held winning records in each of his seasons. His final coaching triumph with CMU came this past March after the team qualified for the program's second-ever CCAA Nationals held here in Manitoba in Dulder's long time stomping grounds of Niverville. CMU became the first MCAC team of any sport and gender to win their opening match of the tournament, placing them in the national semi-final. The team eventually finished the tournament tied for fifth place, matching the highest ever finish for a Manitoba squad.
Despite the university season being over, Dulder is continuing his coaching throughout the spring at the youth club 16U level with 204 Volleyball, and is ensuring the Blazers program is well-placed to continue his successes next year and beyond. Blazers Athletics would like to wish him well in his future endeavours in the sport, and once again thank him for his incredible tenure at the helm of the CMU Men's Volleyball program!
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