UFV volleyball’s Janelle Rozema has just experienced the most exciting challenge of her coaching career. The head coach of UFV’s women’s volleyball team traveled to the Dominican Republic to serve as assistant coach for Canada’s national women’s B (NextGen) team at a tournament in Santo Domingo. They competed against 11 other nations at the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Women Final Six Pan American Cup, which started Thursday (June 27) and continued through June 30.

It was the first international experience for Rozema, who worked with hopefuls for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Results from this tournament contribute to international rankings, which play an important role in Olympic qualifying.

“I’m really excited to see what the next level of volleyball looks like, and how to be competitive within it,” said Rozema, prior to departing. Rozema took the reins of the Cascades in 2019, and has built the program into a Canada West power. Her Cascades finished the 2023-24 season with a 20-4 record, good for third in the Canada West conference. In the playoffs, they advanced to the bronze medal match before falling the Alberta Pandas.

Rozema was an assistant coach with the Canadian crew, and her experiences at UFV prepared her well for this moment. She fine-tuned her skills in practice planning, video analysis, opponent scouting, and all the other responsibilities a Canada West head coach has. Because of that, she brought versatility to her Canadian coaching role.

Before leaving for the Dominican Republic, the team was practicing in Richmond and she was impressed with their athleticism. She said they’re taller, stronger, and faster than the average university player.

“The speed of the game, the speed of the offence and the ability of the players to block and defend the ball – you have to be a lot smarter to score at the next level, and you have to bring more physicality.”

But what impressed Rozema most is how dialed in they were with their preparation. She said there’s intense competition within the team to make tournament rosters, and that brings out the very best in them.

“The athletes need to be self-motivated and driven and perform their best every day in training just to make the travel roster,” she said. “With them, we can spend more time teaching the volleyball aspect, and not have to spend a lot of time managing work rate or focus because it’s already where it needs to be.

“That’s one reason I’m so excited for this opportunity. I want to prepare our UFV athletes who have national and international aspirations, and it’s an incredible experience when you’re coaching at one level to see what the next level is doing. It tells me where I need to help our UFV players get those opportunities down the road.”

Click here for more on the NORCECA tournament, and click her for more on UFV women’s volleyball.