Cougars Women’s Volleyball Find Multi-Talent in DeGroot

Ryan DeGroot will join the Cougar women’s volleyball team in the fall.

DeGroot is a 5’10” outside hitter from Brandon, Mb. She is in her final year at Vincent Massey High School where she was a co-captain for the Vikings. The team had a successful season with DeGroot in the line up, winning cities, and making it to the semi final match at the AAAA provincials tournament. Volleyball is a cherished pas time and a family affair, with DeGroot’s father teaching her the game growing up.

“I started at a young age and played pepper with my family in the living room with a balloon,” said DeGroot.

Her older sisters both played volleyball and she followed suit. At age ten DeGroot was pulled up to practice with her sister’s U12 team and has continued to play at a competitive level ever since. Her U14 Cats Club team won provincials and went on to win a national championship in 2019. This club season, she will play for Cougars coach Neufeld and compete as a member of the U18 Cougars Club team.

“I’ve always been competitive and after watching the Cougars play this year, I knew that this was a level of volleyball I wanted to play at,” said DeGroot. “I am able to stay positive on the court. Being a good teammate is an important aspect of the sport and I find I’m pretty good as supporting my team.”

DeGroot is a multi-talented student athlete. In high school, she played rugby, volleyball, basketball, badminton and softball. After earning the Varsity Girls Basketball Coaches Award last season, she is captaining the team this year. She also earned a Most Valuable Player award in 2021-22 for Rugby 7’s. Beyond that, DeGroot has participated in musical theatre, enjoys singing, and plays the trombone.

“Ryan is a very strong, multi-talented student athlete,” said Cougars coach Kevin Neufeld. “She has an excellent volleyball IQ and her all around skill set will be a great asset to our team.”

DeGroot maintains a 93% average in school. She took a media course in high school, which sparked an interest in the subject, and she excelled in it. DeGroot will be taking the college’s Media and Communications program in the fall.