It turns out the choices of others helped make Logan Barnabé's decision for him.
 
Barnabé, a 5-foot-10 libero from Gabrielle Roy and 204 Volleyball Club, is the latest commitment to Chris Voth's Winnipeg Wesmen men's volleyball program in the Class of 2026. 
 
The St. Agathe native picked up volleyball in middle school but hadn't pursued playing club until the opportunity dropped in front of him. 
 
He's never looked back. 
 
"I never played club volleyball until late in one of the seasons — my14U season — a couple guys dropped out," he said, "so my friends asked me to come to a couple practices with 204 and from there I just got addicted to it."
 
Barnabé has been well-honoured in the short time since he really picked up the sport. In 2023, he was named Volleyball Manitoba's 15U player of the year and a few months later he was named tournament MVP in leading his Gabrielle Roy JV team to the AAAA JV provincial championship, the first quad-A title in the school's history.  
 
In 2024, he helped his Roys into the provincial varsity AAAA Final Four and was named a tournament all-star and, just a few months ago once again helped the small school back into the Final Four just days after being recognized the No. 2-ranked player in the province in the Winnipeg Free Press's annual coaches poll.  
 
When he had success early on, Barnabé started really putting thought into taking the game as far as he could.
 
"Probably 10th Grade, once we won that quad-A in JV and I got that MVP, I started to think I'm decent at volleyball," he said. "I really loved it and I loved the idea of playing post-secondary and trying make a career out of it." 
 
Barnabé also has some Wesmen connections, having played club under former Wesmen Matt Klysh and JV under former Wesmen Dan Lother.
 
"U of W was my first choice, no matter what," he said. "Out of any school I could have gone to, I wanted to go to U of W. My dad went to U of W, my JV coach Dan Lother is my big influence for volleyball and someone I really look up to. And then, with all the success last year in winning the Canada West, I really wanted to go to U of W."
 
Barnabé played left side in high school, but Voth will move him to libero at the university level. It's Barnabé's mental make-up and maturity that have Voth believing he has more big things in his future.
 
"Logan is an exceptional young man and a highly skilled athlete," Voth said. "His professionalism, determination, and daily approach to the game clearly distinguish him. With a consistent and refined skill set, paired with a strong competitive mindset, he is well prepared to make an immediate impact at the university level. We are excited to welcome Logan to the Wesmen family and community, and we look forward to seeing what he will achieve in red."