For first-year Minnesota native Jaidyn Spencer, playing on the Bisons women's volleyball roster means a return to her family's roots.

"My parents are from Winnipeg. They were born here," she says.

"About a year-and-a-half before I was born, they moved to Minneapolis. My dad is a software engineer, so he kind of helped with the Y2K glitch. Technically I have dual citizenship, I have the papers for both and everything which is super cool."

A standout middle, the 6'4" Spencer was a four-year member of her high school roster at Thomas Jefferson, earning captaincy in both 2017 and 2018 while also winning the conference championship in 2016. She was also 14th in the state in total blocks in 2017 and was ranked as one of the top 65 juniors in Minnesota the year before.

"In my first year [at Thomas Jefferson], it was just me and another girl who were freshmen. The rest were upperclassmen, but they were all really welcoming and amazing girls. I think I was really blessed to have such a welcoming team. That really played into how I grew up as a person. Throughout the next couple of years, it was always about welcoming the freshmen or the sophomores onto the team. It really made me a well-rounded player and person."

Spencer's impressive high school career can also be attributed in part to the development she made while playing for the Northern Lights Volleyball Club — a highly acclaimed program based out of Burnsville, MN that has secured 29 national championships.

She noted that her blocking skills were one of the key areas that Northern Lights helped with. This was on full display in her sophomore year, when her squad finished third at nationals.

Cue Ken Bentley. The University of Manitoba head coach first took notice of the dominant middle's play in 2016. He was on his research/study leave and had the chance to see Spencer in person on numerous occasions afterwards due to her squad playing against the Junior Bisons.

Spencer and her parents communicated with Bentley from 2016 onwards, with the rising star making her formal commitment by the end of her junior year.

"I really liked the fact that it was in Winnipeg, my parents home town. I just think that's so cool. My mom actually went [to the University of Manitoba] for a little bit and she never got to finish her schooling. I'd just love to finish going here and graduate here for her."

The dual citizen has seen her role in year one with Manitoba slowly increase as the season has gone along. She started three games in the first half of the campaign, including a five-kill performance with no errors against first place Trinity Western on Nov. 16.

"Probably my first game on the court was the most nerve-wracking. My heart was pounding a million miles an hour. I just took a couple of deep breaths and reminded myself that I just have to play the game that I've been playing for so long. I think after that first game it got increasingly easier.

I'm a superstitious person kind of, so I always have to double-knot my shoelaces. I remember one game I didn't do that and I didn't play as well as I was hoping to, so before the next set I made super to double knot them real tight."

It appears Spencer's shoes have been tied to perfection in the first four games following the winter break, as she's been on a tear filling in for the injured Grace van der Meer. She recorded a career-high ten kills against Calgary on Jan. 3 and has racked up 28 in the month so far. Spencer also has 20 total blocks, providing a solid complement at the net to veteran Allison Alcock.

"I think I've improved as a player tremendously since the beginning of the season, and I know Ken tells me that a lot as well," she noted.

"Offensively, I really like to be the go-to player. Whenever I go in I always think okay, if I get this ball I'm going to crush it. Defensively it's the same thing. You just have to have this mindset of okay, this ball is going to the floor and I'm going to block it."

"Certainly, we have more depth, and last year that hurt us in that position," Bentley added of his middles.

"We weren't real deep and we couldn't get a lot of six on six going last year because our training group wasn't very deep in terms of position. This year we have more than enough which is great. [Jaidyn] is doing more than her share for her role and what she's doing. She's come along nicely and I'm very happy. She's making an impact clearly and has been working hard. Her potential is way out there."

School-wise, Spencer earned direct entry into the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management where she is focusing on physical therapy. Her passion for the subject can be tied to the positive experience she had rehabilitating from two broken feet suffered while on a church mission trip in grade nine.

"I had a great physical therapist. She got me back up and running in just a couple of months. Honestly that changed my whole [volleyball] season, because it was my first year playing high school and I was super nervous. She turned it around and I just want to be able to make that kind of an impact on other people as well."