National MVP Elser lands pro deal in France

LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western men's volleyball star Mathias Elser (Calgary) has signed his first professional contract with Alterna Stade Poitevin in Poitiers, France and will launch in pro career this fall playing in the LNV Ligue A Masculine (France's top league).

Coming off three straight weeks playing with Canada's senior men's team in the Volleyball Nations League, Elser's contract was officially announced, as he moves on from the Spartans after four years at TWU. 

Elser, who played a setter/left side hybrid for much of his career at TWU, capped his time as a Spartan by leading TWU, as a setter, to the program's seventh national title while being named the national championship tournament MVP. 

Following a season in which he impressed both as a setter and on the outside, Elser was named a Canada West Second Team All-Star in 2022-23. Statistically, he put up impressive numbers in his unique role, as he twice eclipsed 50 assists in a single match while seven times he had nine or more kills in a match. 

The Spartans now have three players from their 2023 U SPORTS championship-winning roster who have signed professional contracts, including Brodie Hofer (Langley), who will join Cerrad Enea Czarni Radom in Poland, and Jesse Elser (Calgary), who signed with SVG Lüneburg in Germany. 

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 33 Canada West team championships.

About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.