Kevin Negus has gone from humble beginnings in the sport of volleyball, to becoming one of Manitoba's impact players in 2018-19 and a leader both on and off the court.

The right side hitter grew up in Sioux Lookout, ON — a town of just 5,000 people. He noted that there weren't many sporting opportunities available due to the size of the community but opted to try his luck at volleyball beginning in grade nine. It didn't go well at first.

"I wasn't very good at all," the fourth-year Bison says with a chuckle.

"But I didn't like quitting and didn't want to be that kid, so I decided to stick it out and hope for the best. Every year I kind of just improved, and once I realized I was decent at the sport, I decided to push myself as hard as I could."
It helps that Negus grew eight inches between grades nine and ten, developing into a strong player in the middle — a position he played up until university. He was a multiple-time MVP during his high school career and also a former captain for Sioux Lookout.

Interestingly, Manitoba wasn't on the top of his mind as he neared graduation, until head coach Garth Pischke shot him a message.

"Manitoba wasn't even on the radar for me. I'd never really considered going to Winnipeg for school, but I got an email from Garth, and he asked me to come for a tour of the school and a little tryout. I ended up really liking it here and I liked him, as well as my teammates, so I decided to stick around."

Negus spent the first three years of his Bisons career playing under Devren Dear, which helped him to understand the game even further. He was also on the roster when the squad made a run to the nationals in 2016-17 with a stupendous 21-3 regular season record.

"It was really special being a part of a team like the one I was on in my third year, with guys like Devren Dear, Adam [DeJonckheere] and Kenny [Rooney]. I was the backup for Devren my entire career and I had no problem with that, because he was one of the best right sides in the country and I just tried to learn as much as I could from him, just watching in practices and in games."

With the graduation of Dear last season, Negus saw his playing time increase, finishing the season tied for third in kills with 136. But the squad still had veterans such as DeJonckheere and Scott Vercaigne to set the tone. That wasn't the case entering 2018-19 however, as the Ontario native and fifth-year Dustin Spiring were the only players with more than two years of eligibility used.

In the offseason, Pischke sat Negus down and told him he needed to become one of the team leaders due to the young roster.

"I loved that," he says. I was ready for the challenge."

Negus has proven his worth so far, as he currently sits fourth in the conference in kills per set, with 3.77. But as good as he's played, it's the relationship that he has with his teammates that he's quick to mention.

"I think that's one of the things that kind of sets us apart from other teams, is that we've always been so close. There hasn't been a single guy on the team in the past five years that I haven't considered one of my best friends. The team chemistry and dynamic has been awesome."