LANGLEY, B.C. – UBCO Heat women's volleyball middle
Ali Rathlef was named a member of the U SPORTS All-Rookie team on Wednesday night at the All-Canadians Gala in Langley, B.C., host of the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship Presented by Booster Juice.
Rathlef, a native of Vancouver, had a standout year for the Heat, finishing third in Canada for hitting percentage among all players with a sparkling 0.378 percent.
"I'm really proud and happy for Ali," commented Heat head coach
Steve Manuel. "She worked hard all season to earn this recognition and she's truly established herself as an elite middle blocker in U SPORTS. The future is bright for her as she continues to grow as a player on the court."
After starting the season on the bench for UBCO, appearing in four of the team's first nine games, Rathlef became a staple in Coach Manuel's starting rotation thanks to a nine-kill, 12-point effort in her first career start against the nationally-ranked Thompson Rivers WolfPack.
She would go on to start every game the rest of the season, setting a new career-high for kills in a match on four separate occasions thereafter. She would top out at 12 kills on January 31 against the Mount Royal Cougars, a match in which she hit 0.500 percent on 18 attempts.
Rathlef finished her rookie campaign with 101 kills on 201 attempts, to just 25 errors, along with 39 blocks, 49 digs, and six aces for 127.5 points.
With the recognition, Rathlef becomes the fourth Heat women's volleyball player in the last six seasons to earn a spot on the U SPORTS All-Rookie team, and fifth women's volleyball player overall. She joins a list that includes
Olivia Boulding (2024-25), Madelyn Hettinga (2021-22),
Amaya Perry (2019-20) and Emily Oxland (2012-13).
2026 U SPORTS WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL AWARD WINNERS & ALL-CANADIANS
MARY LYONS AWARD (Player of the Year): Abby Guezen, Alberta
MARK TENNANT AWARD (Rookie of the Year): Eva Génier, Montreal
THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY AWARD (Student-Athlete Community Service):
Abby Delamere, McMaster
MARILYN POMFRET AWARD (
Fox 40 Coach of the Year): Lauren Hale-Miller, UNB
First Team All-Canadians
| Pos. |
First Name |
Last Name |
University |
Year |
Hometown |
Program |
| OH |
Abby |
Guezen |
Alberta |
3 |
Sherwood Park, Alta. |
Kinesiology,
Sport & Rec |
| LS |
Raya |
Surinx |
Manitoba |
4 |
Winnipeg, Man. |
Science |
| OH |
Lucy |
Borowski |
UBC |
5 |
Vancouver, B.C. |
Kinesiology |
| OH |
Oceane |
Raymond-Leduc |
Nipissing |
4 |
Ottawa, Ont. |
Education |
| OH |
Béatrice |
Dubreuil |
Sherbrooke |
2 |
Candiac, Que. |
Law |
| OH |
Justine |
Raymond |
Laval |
5 |
Victoriaville, Que. |
Psychopedagogy (Masters) |
| LS |
Emilia |
Mikanovich |
Saint Mary's |
4 |
Minsk, Belarus |
Biology |
Second Team All-Canadians
| Pos. |
First Name |
Last Name |
University |
Year |
Hometown |
Program |
| OH |
Maryn |
Boldon |
Trinity Western |
4 |
Okotoks, Alta. |
Human Kinetics |
| MB |
Kaylee |
Plouffe |
Trinity Western |
5 |
Sherwood Park, Alta. |
Human Kinetics |
| S |
Justine |
Kolody |
Alberta |
5 |
Winnipeg, Man. |
Education |
| OH |
Olivia |
Julien |
McMaster |
3 |
Toronto, Ont. |
Life Sciences |
| OH |
Audrey |
Odigie |
Ottawa |
4 |
Brampton, Ont. |
Finance |
| OH |
Lydia |
Green |
UNB |
5 |
Bedford, N.S. |
Science |
| S |
Talia |
Nixon |
UNB |
3 |
Fredericton, N.B. |
Arts |
All-Rookie Team
| Pos. |
First Name |
Last Name |
University |
Hometown |
Program |
| MB |
Naomie |
McWhinney |
Memorial |
Chelsea, Que. |
Humanities &
Social Sciences |
| OH |
Eva |
Génier |
Montreal |
Ottawa, Ont. |
Preparatory Year |
| S |
Marina |
Gustke |
Toronto |
Montreal, Que. |
Psychology |
| OH |
Toni |
Wilson |
Western |
Oakville, Ont. |
Information & Media Studies |
| S |
Julia |
Martens |
Manitoba |
Winnipeg, Man. |
Science |
| MB/OH |
Leni |
Blanke |
Calgary |
Calgary, Alta. |
Arts |
| MB |
Ali |
Rathlef |
UBC Okanagan |
Vancouver, B.C. |
Sustainability |
