First-year Bisons middle Darian Koskie hasn't had to look very far for volleyball insight during his life.

For starters, there's his dad Scott, a member of the Manitoba Volleyball Association and Manitoba High School Sports Hall of Fame.

The current Provincial Performance Coach for Volleyball Manitoba, he was a dominant setter as a player, winning two national championships at the U of M in the 1990s while also going on to captain Team Canada for six of his 13-year international career.

"Pretty much any questions I have, that's the first guy I go to. As a setter, you're kind of the quarterback of the team," Darian says.

"When he's setting the ball, you have to read where the middle blocker is to make the best set and evade the opposition middle. He's always working with the middle blockers on his teams too, so he knows what to expect. It's probably more helpful than if he was, say, a right side or left side attacker, because they don't know per sé what goes on with the middle blocker or where they're supposed to be."

Scott was Darian's coach during middle school, helping to instill a passion for the game within his son, who was a multi-sport star entering high school.

Koskie gained further volleyball insight during high school thanks to legendary St. Paul's head coach Lloyd Voth, a fellow Volleyball Manitoba Hall of Famer who's been at the helm for the Crusaders for over three decades. Voth also won a national title with the U of M in 1980 as a stellar left side.

"He was a great coach," the 6'5" middle added.

"He's one of the volleyball pioneers and has been at the school for so long. He has lots of wisdom and has seen many generations of players. He was coaching when my dad was playing high school."

With tremendous mentorship and a versatile skillset, Koskie quickly became a can't miss prospect in the province.

He was ranked as the third-best player in Manitoba in his senior year with St. Paul's, helping his squad go undefeated in regular season play before being upset by Lord Selkirk in the semi-finals of provincials.

Despite the setback, Koskie still earned all-star recognition as a critical voice on the Crusaders roster.

"It was a great time," he says of his high school experience.

"My role was to be one of the leaders on the team on the court but you've got to get to know the guys and be friends with them off the court too. That's where the team culture comes in. In order to win you've got to have a team that gets along with each other and enjoys playing alongside each other."

Now in his freshman season with the Bisons, Koskie has yet another experienced voice to learn from in 38-year head coach Garth Pischke, an elite middle during his playing days as well.

Things have come full circle, as Pischke also coached his dad and Voth.

"I've been really fortunate to be surrounded by so many knowledgeable volleyball people. There hasn't really been a time in my life when I haven't had a coach that was knowledgeable or that was able to provide me with the answers to questions that I had," says Koskie.

"That's definitely been a huge part of my development. I've been so fortunate to have great coaching all the way from middle school with my dad coaching to, to high school with Mr. Voth and now with Garth."

Entering the 2019-20 season, back-to-back conference blocks leader Brendan Warren was expected to once again be the guy in the middle for Manitoba. A pre-season injury sidelined him however, meaning it was Koskie's time to shine.

He hasn't disappointed. In the pre-season he led Manitoba in attacking average and efficiency and has continued to develop through the first eight games for the 3-5 Bisons.

"Pre-season went well," the humble athlete noted.

"I felt like I just needed to go out and do what I've always been doing and just work hard and try to get to the ball and to where the setter needs you to be. It kind of connected and worked out well."

One of just two players to be on the court for every set this season, Koskie's attacking average of .343 leads the squad. He's also contributed 19 total blocks while adding a second-best seven service aces – an area of the game he prides himself on.

"I feel like I'm starting to get my serve back. I had a stronger serve in club and then it faltered out a bit because we used a different ball in the summer. Now it's back to the same ball again so I'm hoping to see my serve continue to improve and bring it back to the level it was back to before."

Naturally, Koskie still has plenty of room to grow, however his head coach mentioned that he's taking the right steps in his progression.

"I knew he was talented coming out of high school but to be thrown right into the fire at the university level is such a huge step, especially at that position because there's so many things to learn from a reading perspective that just don't happen overnight. He's more than held his own.