The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's volleyball team underwent a massive roster change over the course of summer 2025. 

Six rotation players graduated from the squad, completely changing its makeup for the 2025-26 season. And in even more of a shock, they were left with just two first years at the setter position.

Sadie Bird and Mattea Di Bacco weren't supposed to be trusted with big-time minutes in the OUA in just their first seasons at the collegiate level — most setters aren't. The setter is such a crucial position on the volleyball court that players are usually trained as a reserve for the first few years of their careers, until they're ready to step up as juniors and seniors. 

With both of his previous setters graduating, though, Bold Head Coach Dustin Reid had to look for some young talent that would be ready to produce right away.

After some searching, he found Bird and Di Bacco.

The two players, despite heading into the same situation in their freshman seasons, had very different recruitment stories.

Bird first committed to the Bold in August of 2024. Before stepping on the court in Canada, though, she took a year away from the team to travel abroad to Rome, Italy. 

Attending the athletic academy Rome City Institute, the Stirling, Ontario native played for both her school team and the Serie C-level club Virtus Roma.

"I love travelling, and I knew I wanted a year off before I came to university" she explained, "it was the perfect mix of getting to go out into the world but also keep playing volleyball."

The experience allowed Bird to grow as both a person and a volleyball player. While exploring the world and making lifelong memories, she was simultaneously preparing herself to join the Bold the following season.

"She was getting ready to do a prep year of school abroad in a different country, different culture, and we knew we weren't going to see her a ton while she was away," said Reid, "but we were super excited to add her."

But after a surprise player exit left a hole in the team's rotation, they needed a second setter: that's where Di Bacco came in.

"We didn't know we were going to need a second setter until the summertime," Reid explained, "we had talked with Mattea and recruited her as a libero, not a setter."

The St. Catharine's native had a ton of prior experience playing the libero position at a high level. Her Defensa Volleyball Club placed fourth in the 2025 Volleyball Canada 18U National Championship tournament. 

Di Bacco's play against such strong competition impressed her future collegiate coach:

"I had applied to TMU for a program and gotten in, but still wasn't signed with the volleyball team," said Di Bacco, "[Reid] was finally able to come see me play at my provincials…we talked that day and that's when I committed fully."

"I had a great experience playing at Defensa and getting to play against some of the best competition in Canada," she added, "being one of the top teams in 17U and 18U definitely helped to prepare me for better competition in the OUA…the culture at Defensa and the amount of time we spent playing with a high level of intensity really helped me with the transition."

With so much experience already on her plate, Reid decided Di Bacco was the right fit to play as the Bold's second setter.

And so, when the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season rolled around for the Bold in October, Bird and Di Bacco stepped onto the court with massive shoes to fill as first-year setters.

Bird acted as the primary option, starting in 14 of her 16 matches played. Di Bacco saw the floor more overall, though, logging 62 sets played on the season (good for fourth on the team). 

"We tried to get them almost as many opportunities as we could," said Reid, "I don't know if it was 50/50, but it was close."

When Bird sat out back-to-back weekend series due to injury, Di Bacco stepped in to fill her starting role without missing a beat. 

"It's not easy going out there, knowing there's not a backup ready to help if you need it…[Di Bacco] really helped us get some results over those two weekends," praised Reid.

Given their similar situations, one would think that the two setters would feel a sense of competition against one another for playing time. Reid observed the opposite, though:

"I have not sensed any competition at any point, which is really rare," he admitted, "I think it speaks to who they are as people and teammates…they realized that it was going to be easier for each of them to be the best versions of themselves if they were supportive [of one another]."

Without a veteran presence to rely on, Bird and Di Bacco decided to rely on each other.

"Because there's no upper-years to look up to, I think it easily could have gotten very competitive," said Bird, "but I think both of us really made a conscious decision that we would work together."

"It became pretty clear really fast that we both just wanted to support and help each other in the setting role," added Di Bacco.

While they grew together off the court, each member of the pair brought a unique playing style on the court:

"I think they compliment each other very well," said Reid, "Sadie is an extremely fluid athlete and has the ability to really push the pace of the offence and keep everyone involved…Mattea is so great at finding ways to win rallies, relying on her grit and competitiveness."

Whereas Di Bacco's prior experience as a libero allows her to make some spectacular saves and extend rallies, Bird plays a more high-speed, quick-setting style that creates an explosive attack. The duality of the two's individual games makes for a puzzle their opponents just can't solve.

Bird and Di Bacco ranked 13th and 15th in the OUA respectively in total assists (336 & 269): pretty impressive numbers considering their playing time was essentially split in half.

Despite their youth and inexperience in collegiate play, both players provided the exact offensive impact that the Bold needed to succeed. The team upped their winning percentage by a tremendous 25% from 2024-25 to 2025-26, improving even after losing multiple seniors to graduation.

As Bird and Di Bacco's OUA careers continue to unfold, they shine a beacon of hope for the future of the Bold women's volleyball program. They got to TMU on very different paths, but they've come together as teammates to bring two unique styles of play a massive statistical impact.

While Di Bacco's season as a setter ended up being successful, Reid's plan is to change her back to her originally-scouted position of libero for the 2026-27 season.

"I'm looking forward to being able to get more comfortable in a defensive/libero position in the offseason with more of my reps focused there," Di Bacco said.

But no matter what position they're playing, Di Bacco and Bird will always be connected by their unique first-year experience as setters and by how well they produced.