Winnipeg native Julia Martens has been named Canada West Rookie of the Year, after a stellar season that saw her start 17 matches, while playing in 53 total sets. She is the second Bison to receive the award in the last three seasons, after Raya Surinx in 2023, and the ninth Bison overall in program history.
 
Martens was the nation's top rookie in assists per set, at 9.34, a total that was also third in all of U SPORTS. A presence on the attack as well, her tricky left-hand attack resulted in 37 kills overall. Defensively, Martens finished fourth on the Bisons with 139 digs, while her 31 total blocks were fifth on the team.
 
Martens made her first career U SPORTS start against Calgary on October 30, a 3-1 win. She tallied 41 assists in the game, which tied for her regular season career-high, matched on January 9, a 3-1 win over Mount Royal. Overall, she recorded over 40 assists in three different matches, while her eight total points in a 3-1 win over Saskatchewan on January 17 were a personal best (37 assists, four kills, ten digs, eight assisted blocks).
 
In her playoff debut against Thompson Rivers last weekend, Martens added to her stellar season, posting an overall career high of 45 assists in game one of the conference quarterfinals against the Wolfpack.
 
Martens is now the Canada West finalist for the U SPORTS Rookie of the Year Award, which will be announced next week.
 
"Julia's recognition emanates from doing the work to being ready should her play be required, and when it was, she was outstanding," said Bisons head coach Ken Bentley.
 
"Julia met the moment in the best possible way and went on to have a fantastic rookie campaign by finishing third in assists in Canada West while helping the Bisons finish with a 14-6 record this season. Julia has a very high volleyball IQ and remains calm and cool no matter the circumstance and has handled the pressure of starting for the defending national champions with a steady demeanour. I'm very proud of Julia for the way she has handled herself this season-it has been a heavy lift and she did a great job for us."