Volleyball journey takes player originally from the Peace to some far-flung places

“(A) lot of my off time would be going to the beach, which is really nice, and not many pro players get to have that, I would say.”

Pelland talked to us from the Canary Islands on Thursday, January 22. She said the temperature was in the 20’s. Environment Canada says the high in Grande Prairie that same day was -15.3, with the low reaching -22.5.

Pelland says that after making the playoffs last year, the team has had what she calls “a not-so-good first half” this year. She adds that she is optimistic there will be a turnaround in the second half.

Her team won its last two matches after three straight losses and is 6-8 so far on the season. The next match is on Saturday against Melilla, a Spanish city located in northern Africa.

Pelland says they alternate home and road games on the weekend, and, with most teams based in mainland Spain, there are a lot of flights.

“A lot of volleyball, but it’s great. Great lifestyle. We train a lot, but it’s great.”

The 14-player roster for CV Haris includes players from seven different countries. Pelland says there are no rivalries, though.

“It’s pretty great. You go to a new team and, obviously, you end up with a bunch of different nationalities, different people, (and) different cultures.”

“It’s really fun to get to know new people, and I think that probably one of my favourite things about playing volleyball is all the different people that you get to meet and become friends with, because I have friends all over the world now, which is really special, I would say.”

Pelland spent her first professional season in France before joining CV Haris.

“It was awesome. I really loved France. I lived in the south, so like a bit north of Marseille, and, honestly, it was the most beautiful place to live.”

“I’ve been really lucky. I’ve lived in some pretty beautiful spots now. The people were great, too. You make some lifelong friends that are from all over, like I said before. It was a really great year as well.”

Pelland says she signs one-year contracts and will figure out in the next couple months where she will go next. She has not decided yet where she might play next season.

Pelland has also spent three years playing with Canada’s national team. She says a connection suggested she try out while she was still at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

“So, I applied. There is an application process. I ended up on the B team and that was a number of years ago.”

“After my last year of university, I tried out again, and I made the A team, and so then, for the past three years, I’ve been with the senior team.”

Pelland says every summer is still a tryout even after making the senior team. She says players can either be picked for the roster for events or keep training with the B team. She adds that she has experienced both in her career.

Pelland describes the experience of being with the national team as “amazing.”

“Of course, it’s been challenging. There’s a lot of learning. Every year, you know, you learn something different.”

“I’ve got to travel to amazing places and meet a ton of amazing people that are also from Canada, and so, created some really great friendships through the national team and just had some really amazing experiences, but, of course, we work hard, and there’s a lot of pressure involved with that.”

Pelland adds, “It is definitely worth it.”

She adds her goal right now is to stick with the team through 2028 and see if Canada can get to the Olympics, and see if she can make the Olympic team.

“It is the goal. It would be pretty special to get to go.”

Pelland says while the results may not be what the team wanted this past season with the national team, they had what she calls “a really great development year” at the beginning of the quad for the next Olympics.

She also thinks the team played some “really competitive volleyball,” and the team improved a lot from the beginning of the summer to the end.

Pelland says her pro team could play into May, depending on how they do. The national team also starts again in May, and there could be as little as a week off between the two.

Volleyball Nations League starts again in June. This year’s circuit will stop in Quebec City. Pelland says it will be “so great” to have a stop in Canada again this year after a stop in Ottawa last year.

“It was so special to play in front of a home crowd. It was unbelievable. So, again, to be on Canadian soil is incredible, so hopefully everything works out, and (I) make that roster and get to be there this summer.”

Pelland joins Gina Schmidt and Dani Smith, both originally from Beaverlodge, as players from our area on Canada’s women’s volleyball team.

by Curtis Galbraith