When it comes to rolling with the punches that life hands out, few have done it better than fifth-year men's volleyball captain Dustin Spiring.

The product of St. Paul's High School was on the roster of some strong Crusaders teams, making a run to the championship in grade 11 as well as the final four in grade 12. Despite this, thoughts of playing post-secondary volleyball were far from his line of thinking.

"I wasn't planning on playing volleyball whatsoever," he says.

"I didn't have any inclination and I didn't get recruited anywhere or anything like that. But the [Bisons] assistant coach at the time, Ryan Ratushniak wanted someone to help out with film work and stats and what not, so I said okay, I'll come."

While Spiring was enjoying the opportunity provided to him, he still had to worry about a much more personal matter pertaining to his health.

In grade ten he found out that he had an electrical impulse problem in his heart which progressively got worse as he aged. In 2013-14, he had surgery in his upper chest to have a pacemaker implemented which resulted in him missing the first half of the year.

"I had to learn how to dive a little bit differently, because obviously you usually dive on your chest, so I had to learn to dive more on my side and in other areas, but other than that it hasn't affected me whatsoever."

Spiring was back for January and his return couldn't have come at a better time, as multiple players went down with injuries, resulting in him being more than just the numbers guy and instead a practice player.

"I think it just made me appreciate the game more," he says of his progression as a rookie. Then [head coach] Garth [Pischke] gave me a shot when I came back my second year to actually be on the team."

Spiring suited up at left side for the 2014-15 campaign, playing in 28 sets. He noted that fellow left side Kevin Falconer – who was in his third year at the time – had a huge effect on his attitude and approach to the game.

"[Falconer] came into the gym every day and wanted to work and had a work ethic like no other. He made the guys around him better too, which I've always tried to pride myself on.

I think me and him were in similar spots as guys who weren't as physically gifted or skilled in the position we were in. We had to work harder for it and we kind of learned how to adapt and make other players better so that we could be on the court."

Spiring continued to prove his jack of all trades status in both his second and third years of eligibility.

He played middle as well as left side while also passing in practice in 2015-16, before shifting to a hybrid libero/middle spot in 2016-17 when Manitoba made an impressive run to nationals. The move was made by Pischke after Spiring and former teammate Adam Dejonckheere won gold at U22 nationals, with the former getting a lot better at passing and defence during that time.

"Garth is a coach that likes to put the guys who he thinks are going to win on the court. Guys who he sees compete and are the workhorses," Spiring says of his rotation through different positions in the lineup.

"His ability to see different players in different spots and the way they need to succeed is pretty impressive."

Last season, Spiring was moved back solely to middle, where he was one of just three players to participate in every set, finishing second on the team in blocks with 94.

"I think being versatile has helped me so much," he says of his ability to adapt to different roles per season.

"I would have never gotten on the court or even been a Bison volleyball player if I was like no, I'm this, because I wouldn't have gotten any better. It's definitely helped me in the progression."

Now in his final year, Spiring is back as an outside hitter and is second on the team in kills, with 107. Being the lone fifth-year on the squad, he enjoys the fact that he doesn't leave the court at any point during a contest.

"I like being on the court at all times this year because we don't have that veteran leadership if I'm not out there I feel. When crunch time comes around, I want to be able to be out there and make an impact."

With all the transitions and adjustments that Spiring has made, it can be hard to sit back and reflect on what a memorable run he's had as a critical member of Manitoba's roster.

The first word that comes to his mind is "pride".

"I was really disregarded by a lot of people when I was coming out of high school, and even in high school I was overlooked. So, to be able to come out here and prove that I can compete with the best players in Canada is something special to me," he says fondly.

"It's been a fun ride, because I've had to opportunity to be in five different roles over the last six years. I would say it's probably the best experience on my life and I'm really proud of the way I did it."