OTTAWA – If this year’s national junior volleyball team is any indication, the future of the CIS champion Trinity Western men’s volleyball team is incredibly bright.
Of the 14 volleyballers selected to Canada’s men’s national junior team, which was announced Monday, four play for the Spartans, which includes Lucas Van Berkel (Edmonton, Alta.), Brad Kufske (Abbotsford, B.C.), Derek Thiessen (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Branden Schmidt (Winton, Alta.).
This summer, there will be eight Spartans volleyball players sporting Canadian colours as Marc Howatson and Rudy Verhoeff will play for Canada’s FISU entry while women’s volleyball setter Lauren O’Reilly will play for Canada’s Senior team and middle Alicia Perrin will compete at the FISU Games with Canada’s women’s side.
The team will compete at the men’s world junior volleyball championships set for July 31 to August 10 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The selections were decided following a 47-player try-out camp that was held recently at the men’s national training centre in Gatineau, Que.
The roster features six players from the Canadian team that won the silver medal last summer at the NORCECA (North and Central America and Caribbean) championships in Gatineau including tournament MVP Nicholas Hoag of Sherbrooke, Que. That result qualified Canada for this year’s world juniors.
Also from that 2010 team are Tommy Bélisle of Quebec City, Tristan Aubry of Edmonton, Tyler (TJ) Sanders of London, Ont., Van Berkel and Schmidt.
The others selected to the 2011 squad are Brett Wiess of Winnipeg, Daniel Moreau of Sherbrooke, Braden McLean of Birch Hills, Sask., Jay Olmstead of Edmonton, Alex Davis of White Rock, B.C., of Coquitlam, B.C., Jarron Mueller of Calgary, Kufske and Thiessen.
The selected team will train for the duration of the summer and currently have plans for preparation matches in early June in Canada. They will travel to Panama City to compete at the U21 Pan Am Cup from June 19 to 27. Then in July they head to Argentina just prior to the World Championship for final tune-up matches before arriving in Brazil July 30.
Canada is hoping for a lucky number seven as they have competed in six previous World Junior Men’s Championships, including a best result of 5th in 1999.
The head coach of the men’s national junior team is Georges Laplante of l’Université de Montréal. His assistants are Greg Barthel of the University of Regina and Brad Poplawski of the University of Alberta.
Here are the players selected to the men’s national junior volleyball team sorted by province:
Alberta: Tristan Aubry, Edmonton; Jay Olmstead, Edmonton; Lucas VanBerkel, Edmonton; Branden Schmidt, Winton; Jarron Mueller, Calgary.
B.C.: Alex Davis, White Rock; Brad Kufske, Abbotsford; Derek Thiessen, Coquitlam; Brett Wiess, Winnipeg
Ontario: Tyler (TJ) Sanders, London
Quebec: Nicholas Hoag, Sherbrooke; Daniel Moreau, Sherbrooke; Tommy Bélisle, Quebec City
Saskatchewan: Braden McLean, Birch Hills
Head coach: Georges Laplante, Montreal; Assistant coaches: Greg Barthel, Regina and Brad Poplawski, Edmonton
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