Former national champion and 2014-15 U SPORTS Player of the Year Rachel Cockrell may have graduated from the University of Manitoba, but her memory lives on in the current generation of Bison women's volleyball stars.

"[Head coach] Ken [Bentley] talked about Rachel Cockrell a lot in practice and having 110 percent all the time," says fifth-year left side Tori Studler.

"He told me that every single time I approached the ball I had to hit like I was Rachel Cockrell. I definitely am not Rachel Cockrell, but I like to live up to her expectations and try to be as good as I can be."

Studler did just that in her third year with Manitoba in 2016-17, finishing second on the team with an impressive 203 kills.

But the comparisons to Cockrell don't stop there. Manitoba's leading attacker that year was versatile right side Kearley Abbott, the Winnipeg Sun's number one ranked player coming out of the province in 2016. She finished with 247 kills and 187 digs on route to being named the Canada West Rookie of the Year.

"Kearley honestly reminds me so much of Rachel Cockrell, even in her first year," says Studler.

"She was hitting the ball so hard, so it was really nice to have another influence like that. Even though she was younger than me, it still pushed me to do things that I didn't think I was capable of and she's definitely one of the best players I've ever played with."

Abbott – a Canada West Second-Team All-Star last season as well – was quick to credit the veteran Studler for making her feel welcome right from the jump.

"Tori is just such a kind player. From the moment [Kearley and twin sister Josie] walked in, she didn't make it seem like the age difference meant anything to her. We obviously looked up to her and appreciated her, but she didn't try to put us in our place or anything. She just treated us like equals on the team. She's just such a kind person on the court."

Entering the 2018-19 season though, both players were forced to deal with adversity.

Abbott suffered a torn ligament in her ankle in the pre-season after an opponent accidentally landed on her foot, while Studler's high-demand class schedule resulted in her being unable to attend practice most of the week.

But neither player was willing to accept the cards that life handed them. Studler would come back on Wednesdays to practice with the team, which elevated the level of competition and drive amongst the squad, while Abbott rehabbed hard to get back into the line-up for the second half of the season.

"It was definitely frustrating at first, but I also didn't really understand quite the extent of the injury until I got the MRI done," Abbott says of her injury.

"So then after I got those results back it was obviously disappointing because I knew I wouldn't be back until after Christmas. But then when I was allowed to practice in December, I just worked really hard to try and get back into good shape physically and also just mentally being okay with being around the net and stuff like that so that I wasn't scared."

Good news came for each player soon enough.

Studler's second-term schedule was a bit more flexible and she was able to suit up with the squad for the first time right before the Christmas break. She made her presence felt in commanding fashion, with 23 combined kills in a weekend sweep over Brandon.

"Ken [Bentley] was really understanding of the whole thing. We communicated throughout the first term and tried to find something that we could work on," Studler says.

"I was still with the girls all the time and I told them when I came back that this was the team I wanted to finish my career with, so it was really important that I worked hard to be there for the team in the second half."

Abbott's return after the Christmas break against Thompson Rivers was just as impressive. She racked up 30 total kills and now has 58 through her first six matches – a feat that hasn't gone unnoticed by Studler.

"A lot of people are nervous when they have an injury, and Kearley was like, 'you know what I'm back. I'm going to give it my all.' She just didn't have any flaws in her game when she came back. It was awesome. She bounced back so quick and I think it was because of all her hard work."

The Bisons are now 6-2 when factoring in both Studler and Abott's returns and are just four points behind UBC for a home playoff date.

"We can be more competitive in practice and be better, so those two players coming back to our team has made a massive difference in our training," Bentley says of Studler and Abbott's impact. "That's helped us play better volleyball, there's no doubt about that.

Catch Tori Studler and Kearley Abbott in action as part of Duckworth Challenge volleyball, as the Bisons take on the Wesmen Friday, February 1 at 7:45 p.m. Men precede at 6 p.m.