Kim Mintenko's teammates don't give her a hard time about being the old lady. Given the fact she's the only fifth-year player on the roster, they certainly could.
"Surprisingly, I tease myself the most about that," said the 22-year-old Mintenko, the starting setter for the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades women's volleyball team. "It's a good dynamic. The young ones have lots of energy but they still need someone experienced to look up to because they just haven't been on the floor to see certain things. It's good to be around and be a calming influence."
The current edition of the Cascades is indeed baby-faced. UFV has six first-year players, four second-year team members, three third-years and no fourth-years.
Mintenko, a 2006 graduate of Duchess Park, has spent her entire post-secondary career with the Abbotsford-based Cascades and is heading into the second half of her final season. She has a hard time believing that time has passed so quickly.
"It feels pretty crazy, not only finishing volleyball but then graduating soon," said Mintenko, who is majoring in biology and minoring in kinesiology. "Lots of my friends have graduated already. It definitely goes faster every year."
Within the eight-team B.C. Colleges Athletic Association, UFV currently sports a 3-3 record and is in good position to make the playoffs, set for February in Kelowna. Mintenko has played a major role in the Cascades' success thus far, not only as the quarterback of the offence but as a point-producer from the service line. In the league, she's tied for third in aces, with 11 in 19 sets.
"I love setting, but serving is one of my favourite things because you have total control," said Mintenko, who uses a nasty jump-spin serve to put opposing defences under immediate pressure. "I've really been working on it a lot this year and last year. My shoulder's kind of paying for it but I may as well go out with a bang, I guess. I enjoy putting the heat on."
Mintenko has had more than just shoulder woes this season. In fact, if she could cast a vote for team MVP, she'd pick the physiotherapy staff.
"I've had shin splints and a back problem, a rolled ankle, but you just kind of bite your tongue," she said. "You go to the physio, and the physio ends up hating you because all you do is say, 'OK, what do I need to do to play this weekend?' and they're like, 'Well, that's not going to benefit you in the long run.' And you're like, 'I don't care, I need to play this weekend.' They end up hating you but they fix you up good, that's for sure."
Mintenko was home briefly during the Christmas break and did have a chance to check out the new Duchess Park, which opened last spring.
"I just stepped into the gym -- not really much the school -- but it looks beautiful," she said. "The gym, I love it. But it's sad not to see the (old) school there at all anymore. I spent so many years there and now it's just gone."
Mintenko and the Cascades resumed practices on Monday and their next matches will happen at a Jan. 2-4 tournament in Calgary. League play starts up again on Jan. 15, when they visit the UBC Okanagan Heat of Kelowna.
