YORKTON - Sports fans in Canada may not yet be aware, but volleyball now has a pro league – at least on the women’s side of the sport.
In fact, the Pro Volleyball Federation is about to launch its second season with the first serves of 2025 set for Jan. 9.
While the league’s eight teams are located in the United States, ranging from the Orlando Valkyries to the San Diego Mojo there are a spattering of import players including Canadian Layne Van Buskirk with the Las Vegas Thrill.
Van Buskirk, who hails from Windsor, Ont. said her experience in the PVF has exceeded her initial expectations for the league.
“I think it was a lot more than expected,” the 26-year-old, middle blocker told Yorkton This Week in a recent interview.
Of course even having a women’s pro volleyball league was something Van Buskirk said was largely unexpected.
“I never imagined it to be a thing,” she said, adding it was just expected “after college you’d go overseas to play, and that’s what I did.”
Van Buskirk won the 2017 and 2018 ACC Conference Championship while competing for the University of Pittsburgh, the first team in school history to win a volleyball championship, and then went to Europe playing for clubs such as VBC Chamalières, Dresdner SC, and E-Work Busto Arsizio.
Van Buskirk also noted the Thrill were “a late addition to the league,” for season one, but somewhat to her surprise they quickly found a supportive fan base.
“The Vegas volleyball community is just amazing,” she said.
The popularity of the league through season one is no doubt in part due to a general growth in the popularity of women’s sport, a factor recognized by Van Buskirk.
“The surge in women’s sports popularity really helped,” she said.
It helps too that women’s volleyball is often seen as being more fan friendly, she added.
So, is it better playing in North America?
“It’s so much better,” said Van Buskirk, adding just being in roughly the same time zone as home is huge. “I can call my mom if I need to.”
At present Van Buskirk is something of a rarity in the league – a Canadian. She explained in season one teams were allowed only two-non Americans including Canucks, and while this season teams can have three imports, players from north of the 49th parallel are limited, although in time that may change.
“There’s a lot of talent in Canada,” said Van Buskirk, adding volleyball is a growing sport, especially among girls. So she dreams of league expansion north one day. “Hopefully we get a Canadian team.”
In the meantime Van Buskirk is focused on season two with the Thrill.
“We have the team goal of making the playoffs. We fell short last year,” she said.
As for a personal goal, Van Buskirk said, “probably I just want to help the team as much as I can,” adding that means playing big at the net.
Van Bushkirk and the Thrill start the 2025 season on home court hosting the Grand Rapid Rise Jan. 10.
