TWU's Chaim Schalk named Canada West All-Star
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Canada West Universities Athletic Association
2008-09 Media Release
Thursday, February 19, 2009
EDMONTON - Canada West proudly announces the 2009 men's volleyball individual award winners and All-Stars, as selected by head coaches across the conference.
Included in the selection was TWU Canada West first team all-star setter/rightside Chaim Schalk (Red Deer, Alta.).
TWU head coach Ben Josephson commented on his fifth year's contributions to the team. "Chaim has done everything for us this past season. As our lone fifth year athlete a lot of responsibility was put on him both on and off the court.With all of this added pressure, Chaim still had his best season as a Spartan. Our team would not have accomplished a fraction of what we were able to without the play, leadership and character of Chaim. Be it setting, hitting right side or any other role asked, Chaim always responded with 'whatever is best for the team coach.' This attitude is a major factor in the success of both Chaim and our team. When the team captain has that attitude it trickles down the team and into the culture of the program."
"There are not many athletes who could make an all conference team as a hybrid player, both setter and hitter, but Chaim is not like most athletes. This past season he was one of the top setters in the conference as well as our go to hitter when he was in a hitting role," commented Josephson on Schalk's athletic talents. ""I'm very grateful to the voting coaches that they saw the value that Chaim added to our team this year. I'm also glad that they saw the full spectrum of his skills and the level that he is able to perform all those skills at. Chaim truly deserves and earned this recognition."
Alberta fifth-year player Joel Schmuland has been selected as conference MVP. The 22-year-old right side was among the Canada West leaders in several categories this season as the Golden Bears racked up a perfect 18-0 conference season record, good for first place and the right to host this weekend's Final Four.
Schmuland ranked third in points (4.79/set), third in aces (0.38/set), sixth in kills (3.93/set), 10th in hitting percentage (.355). The Physical Education student was also a member of Alberta's 2008 CIS championship roster, where he was named to the All-Tournament team. He was a Canada West All-Star in 2008 and a CIS All-Canadian in 2007.
"I am very happy that the coaches in Canada West recognized Joel this season...he has been very steady for us the last three seasons as a starter and has also matured into an on and off court leader," said veteran Alberta head coach Terry Danyluk. "He has become one of the best attackers in the CIS and helped many team mates improve along the way as well because of his determination as an athlete."
Manitoba Bisons young star Chris Voth is the Rookie of the Year. Voth, just 18 years old, was one of four freshmen who started for the Bisons men's volleyball team in 2008-09.
Despite the team missing the playoffs with a 4-14 record, in his first Canada West season, Voth was ranked ninth in conference kills with 3.00 per game (68g/204k) and 10th in conference points at 3.35 per game. In addition to his conference rankings, the left side hitter led the team by playing in each game during the season, first with 94 digs, tied for second with ten service aces and sixth with 23 total blocks. The 6'5", 180-pound Winnipeg native registered the most points by a Bison player this season with 20.5 (vs. TRU on Oct. 31/08) and had three of the four best point matches in 2008-09 for Manitoba plus tied for the most kills by a Bison players this season with 18 (vs. TRU on Oct. 31/08).
Manitoba head coach Garth Pischke said, "Chris had a fantastic rookie season and was a big part of the team throughout the season. He has incredible passion for the game that I have rarely seen in an individual. Chris loves the game and every time he steps on the court he wants to be a better player. I look forward to Chris to continue his success in Canada West in his sophomore season and beyond with Manitoba."
For a second straight year, Libero of the Year goes to UBC's Blair Bann. In just his third year of eligibility, he has proven to be one of the nation's best from the time he stepped on the court.
Bann, who won CIS Libero of the Year in 2008, began collecting hardware when he was named to the CIS All-Freshman team in 2007. This season, Bann, a Human Kinetics major, was far and away the leader in digs, grabbing 207 over 91 sets for a 2.92 average, well ahead of all rivals and a big improvement over his Canada West best 2.3 average digs per set from 2007-08.
"Blair was a real key to our success this year and showed continued improvement as both a libero and team leader. When Blair gets in the zone, he is arguably the best at what he does in the country and his understanding of the game just allows him to go out there and react to what is happening. He has such a passion for this game and you can see it each and every time he steps out on to the court."
Moving forward as the Canada West nod for the Dale Iwanoczko Award as outstanding student-athlete is Alan Ahow of the Winnipeg Wesmen. Ahow, in his fifth and final year, is a two-time CIS medal-winning athlete, as the Wesmen took gold in 2007 and silver at CIS Nationals in 2008, and again in 2009 they have qualified for both the conference Final Four and Nationals.
Ahow is a dedicated student-athlete who has a 4.01 GPA in the combined Arts and Education degree program. This program involves completing the two degrees simultaneously in a very demanding program. Ahow has been named an Academic All-Canadian every year (four years) and will complete his Bachelor of Arts degree this year and complete his Bachelor of Education degree in 2009-10.
In the community Ahow has been a volunteer coach of the Grade 7 girl's volleyball and basketball teams at Arthur Day Middle School (Winnipeg, Mb). A volunteer coach of the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute 17u boy's volleyball team. Ahow assisted with the implementation of the junior golf program at Harbour View Golf Club.
"Alan exemplifies what fantastic role models we have in Canadian university sport. He works hard at his sport and his studies and finds time to spend giving back to others what has been given to him in the past. We are all proud to have him as a teammate and friend," said Wesmen head coach Larry McKay.
Four-time CIS Coach of the Year, Alberta's Terry Danyluk, has won his fifth nod as Canada West top boss after guiding his Golden Bears to a perfect 18-0 regular season record and the nation's No. 1 ranking, with the right to host this weekend's Final Four a week ahead of hosting Nationals in Edmonton.
In 16 years as head coach, Danyluk has taken Alberta to three CIS gold medals, four silvers and two bronze, along with seven conference titles and a stellar 233-54 conference coaching mark. Also recognized as a great athlete for Alberta back in the early 1980s, Danyluk has a combined 20 years of experience at Alberta.
"Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics, and our volleyball student-athletes most importantly, are very fortunate to have such high quality, dedicated professional coaches to lead our programs," said U of A Associate Athletic Director Katie Spriggs. "Terry's selection by his peers is further indication of how highly regarded he is in the volleyball and coaching communities."
Following is a breakdown of all individual award winners and All-Stars:
Awards
MVP: Joel Schmuland, Alberta
Rookie of the Year: Chris Voth, Manitoba
Libero of the Year: Blair Bann, UBC
Dale Iwanoczko Award nominee: Alan Ahow, Winnipeg
Coach of the Year: Terry Danyluk, Alberta
All-Stars
First Team Second Team
Joel Schmuland, Alberta Mike DeRocco, Alberta
Paul Sanderson, Brandon Gord Perrin, Thompson Rivers
Steven Gotch, UBC Ciaran McGovern, Calgary
Omar Langford, Calgary Tim Gourlay, Alberta
Chaim Schalk, Trinity Western Joel Small, Brandon
Andrew Town, Winnipeg Blair Bann, UBC
Major award winners will automatically become finalists for national awards, to be handed out by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) at the University of Alberta in Edmonton next week.
This weekend's Final Four takes place at the University of Alberta, with the host Golden Bears taking on the Winnipeg Wesmen in one Friday semifinal, while Brandon tangles with the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in the other semi. The bronze and gold medal matches go Saturday night in the U of A Main Gym. All four schools are guaranteed a spot at Nationals, Feb. 27-March 1.
Please direct questions to the Canada West office: sportsinfo@canadawest.org, or contact any of the Canada West men's volleyball schools. Contact information for all conference schools can be found at: the www.canadawest.org Members page.
David Bandla
Canada West Communications
www.canadawest.org
Last Updated: 2009-02-19
Email: ssstew@twu.ca