Canada West men’s volleyball all-star, all-rookie teams announced
Evan Daum, Canada West Communications
NEW WESTMINSTER – With the Canada West men’s volleyball Final Four slated to open this Friday, Canada West Universities Athletic Association is proud to announce its 2015-16 men’s volleyball all-star teams, along with the conference’s all-rookie squad.
The conference’s 13 head coaches – who also voted on the Canada West major awards, which will be announced Thursday, March 3 – selected the annual all-stars and all-rookies.
Leading the way on the Canada West first all-star team – which recognizes the conference’s top players by position – are a trio of Alberta Golden Bears, who helped the defending CIS champions to a near-perfect 23-1 regular season record.
Alberta earned nods at setter (Brett Walsh), middle (Taylor Arnett), and left side/outside (Ryley Barnes), while UBC (Alex Russell – middle), Brandon (Roy Ching – left side/outside), Thompson Rivers (Brad Gunter – opposite), and Regina (Jacques Borgeaud – libero) also landed players on the first team.
In total, 11 of the conference’s 13 volleyball squads earned a spot on one of the two all-star teams, or all-rookie squad, which recognizes the conference’s top seven first-year players regardless of position.
The conference’s top four teams collide this Friday and Saturday in Edmonton, as Alberta (1) hosts Manitoba (2), Saskatchewan (3) and Trinity Western (4) at the Canada West Final Four, where a trio of teams will punch their ticket to the CIS national championship March 10-12 at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.
Canada West semifinal action is slated for Friday at 3:00 PM MST (Saskatchewan (3) vs. Manitoba (2)) and 6:00 PM MST (Trinity Western (4) vs. Alberta (1)), while the conference bronze medal match goes Saturday at 3:00 PM MST, before the conference championship game at 6:00 PM MST.
All Final Four games can be seen live on Canadawest.tv
2015-16 Canada West Men’s Volleyball First All-Star Team
Name / Position / University / Year / Hometown
Brett Walsh / Setter / University of Alberta / 4th / Calgary, AB
Alex Russell / Middle / University of British Columbia / 5th / Surrey, BC
Taylor Arnett / Middle / University of Alberta / 4th / Calgary, AB
Ryley Barnes / Left side, outside / University of Alberta / 5th / St. Paul, AB
Roy Ching / Left side, outside / Brandon University / 4th / Nelson, New Zealand
Brad Gunter / Opposite / Thompson Rivers University / 5th / Courtenay, BC
Jacques Borgeaud / Libero / University of Regina / 5th / Brisbane, Australia
2015-16 Canada West Men’s Volleyball Second All-Star Team
Name / Position / University / Year / Hometown
Josh McKay / Setter / University of Winnipeg / 5th / Winnipeg, MB
Ken Rooney / Middle / University of Manitoba / 4th / Winnipeg, MB
John Goranson / Middle / University of Alberta / 5th / Red Deer, AB
David Bommersbach / Left side, outside / University of Winnipeg / 3rd / Winnipeg, MB
Ryan Sclater / Left side, outside / Trinity Western University / 4th / Port Coquitlam, BC
Devren Dear / Opposite / University of Manitoba / 4th / St. Andrews, MB
Tyler Koslowsky / Libero / Trinity Western University / 5th / Abbotsford, BC
2015-16 Canada West Men’s Volleyball All-Rookie Team
Name / Position / University / Hometown
CJ Gavlas / Setter / University of Saskatchewan / Saskatoon, SK
Max Vriend / Middle / MacEwan University / Barrhead, AB
Sam Taylor-Parks / Middle / Thompson Rivers University / Kelowna, BC
Eli Risso / Libero / UBC Okanagan / Kelowna, BC
Mason Metcalf / Middle / Brandon University / Carman, MB
Kyle Behiels / Middle / Thompson Rivers University / Edmonton, AB
Devon Cote / Outside / UBC Okanagan / Kelowna, BC
Final Four – hosted by the University of Alberta
Friday, March 4
Saskatchewan (3) vs. Manitoba (2) / 3:00 PM MST / CW Final Four semifinal 1
Trinity Western (4) vs. Alberta (1) / 6:00 PM MST / CW Final Four semifinal 2
Saturday, March 5
Loser semifinal 1 vs. Loser semifinal 2 / 3:00 PM MST / CW bronze medal game
Winner semifinal 1 vs. Winner semifinal 2 / 6:00 PM MST / CW championship game
About Canada West Championships:
Canada West Universities Athletic Association is the premier university athletic conference in Canada, awarding a total of 19 conference championships annually in 11 different sports. With 17 members stretching from British Columbia to Manitoba, the conference is home to champion student-athletes that excel on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities.
The 2016 Canada West Volleyball Final Four is proudly sponsored by Mikasa Sports Canada. Since 1997, Mikasa Sports Canada, through Catsports Inc., has distributed quality products to better satisfy the demand of Canadian athletes and is the official ball supplier for Canada West volleyball.