Julia Sawatzky: November's Zueike Female Athlete of the Month
Sawatzky stares down the opposition's serve during their final home match of the first half.
Congratulations to Julia Sawatzky of Blazers Women's Volleyball on being selected the CMU Zueike Female Athlete of the Month for November. The veteran Blazer has taken her game to new heights, and with it the program, as the team made history by featuring in the CCAA National Rankings for the first time ever earlier this month.
Now in her fourth season, Sawatzky continues to develop her game and has become a dominant left side in the conference. At the halfway mark of the season, Sawatzky now sits level with her teammate Halle Meisner at second in the MCAC in kills per set (2.68), and fourth in total kills with 91. Sawatzky started the 2025/26 campaign strong, earning herself MCAC Athlete of the Week honours after the team's first full weekend of play, and two wins over the Assiniboine Cougars when she notched a team-high 25 kills over the two match span. More recently, Sawatzky was named MCAC player of the game on November 28th, when she led all attackers in the match with 11 kills against the defending champions Providence Pilots.
The Blazers women's volleyball program also managed to make history this November, and featured in the CCAA National Rankings for the first time on November 18th, after a hot 4-1 start to the season.
Not just an offensive powerhouse, Sawatzky puts in the work off the court, and leads her teammates by example. First-year head coach Craig McKenzie weighed in on his veteran left side's impact so far this season, stating "Julia is another great example of what experienced leadership can do for a team. She is one of our foundations and consistently the go-to player when the team needs a sideout or key point. In tough situations she is one the team can rely on, especially with her level-headed play, keeping control in tight situations. The team will rely heavily on Julia to be a leader in the second half of the season in a very evenly balanced conference where every match is a tough one."
With the top three teams all tied in the standings heading into the second half, and fourth place St Boniface not far behind it will be a very interesting second half, as the top team at the end of regular league play earns a bye directly to the finals, while second place hosts a one-game semifinal play-in. With Providence hosting the CCAA Nationals in March of 2026, the Pilots along with the next-highest ranked team from the MCAC will also earn a spot at the tournament that will for the first time feature two Manitoba entries.
