NUMBER ONE’S WITH A BULLET
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| Nick Del Bianco |
MENS VOLLEYBALL (ANNOUNCEMENT)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009
RECRUIT SIGNINGS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NUMBER ONE’S WITH A BULLET
LANGLEY, British Columbia – Trinity Western University men’s volleyball coach Ben Josephson wasn’t content with getting just one of the top high school players available for the 2010-2011 season. Instead the Spartans head coach decided to go out and get the top high school player out of British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba to attend TWU this fall. Making commitments to the Spartans are Nick Bianco from Surrey, B.C., Branden Schmidt from De Winton, Alta. and Devyn Plett from Winnipeg.
"I feel like every year I say it is our best recruiting class ever but this one may be our best recruiting class ever. All three have unlimited CIS potential and fit our Spartan Men's Volleyball culture perfectly. They are all great students, great players and most importantly great young men,” said Josephson. “They all play for the team first and play an unselfish style that is focused on execution en route to performance. I could not be happier to add these three to our team and am supremely confident they will be great ambassadors for TWU and Spartan Men's Volleyball for years to come."
Nick Del Bianco
Del Bianco, a six foot four inch outside hitter, has been earned numerous honours in an illustrious high school career. Most recently the Vancouver Province named him the top high school boys volleyball player in British Columbia after he led his Fleetwood Park squad to the BC High School AAA Provincial Championship where he was named Most Valuable Player.
"Nick was the earliest recruit ever to sign. He called and committed September eighth and that was one of the happiest days of my young coaching career. Nick is clearly the class of the Province as evidenced by his MVP at the provincials and his number one ranking by the BC coaches,” commented Josephson. “He is an extremely skilled player which is what makes him so good on the sand. His passing and defense are what really excite me. Make no mistake, he is a dominant offensive player as well but securing the ball is priority one and Nick will secure that aspect for our next cycle. Nick has really developed as a leader this last year and his patience and disciplined style of play will allow him to make the transition to the CIS level very quickly. I look for Nick to make a huge splash in our league in the not too distant future."
This past summer Del Bianco was a member of the U18 2009 Canadian Beach National team and has been a member of the BC Provincial U16 indoor volleyball team in 2007 and 2008 and the Provincial U16 Beach Team in 2007 and 2008. As a member of team Canada Del Bianco competed in tournaments in Switzerland and Turkey, where his team won the Switzerland tournament, prior to finishing ninth at the world championships.
For the past three summers Del Bianco has been a member of the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club where he was an all star at Club Provincials in 2007 (U15), 2008 (U16) and 2009 (U17).
Del Bianco, an honours student who plans to study Human Kinetics next year at TWU, commented on joining the Spartans: “Attending Trinity Western has been a dream of mine since the very first time I came out to watch one of their games, back in grade eight. I saw how exciting the sport of volleyball really could be and ever since, every time I've come to watch Trinity Western play they never disappoint,” said Del Bianco. “Throughout the years I have also got to know Ben Josephson better and got lucky enough to be coached by him in club. This was a huge turning point for me because from then on I knew I wanted to learn more from him, and I knew the best way to do that was to come to Trinity Western. I can't wait to become a Spartan and become part of the best volleyball program in the Nation.”
In addition to his AAA MVP award, he received the 2009 Fraser Valley AAA MVP award, was named an all-star award at the U17 TWU Club Tournament and has received many other all-star and MVP awards during his high school and club career.
Branden Schmidt
Schmidt, a six foot six inch middle, has earned many individual honours including 2008 U16 Alberta Volleyball Tachikara Player of the Year, 2008 Western Elites MVP and 2009 Western Elites Best Hitter Award.
"Branden's signing was a huge thing for Spartan Men's Volleyball. Branden is an extremely physical player. He has a huge arm, explosive jump and a great motor. He will be a dominant net player during his career and has unlimited upside,” commented Josephson. “Above all of this his intangibles as a teammate and leader are what make him a truly special addition to our team. His cares deeply for those he plays with and trains at a high level every day. These intangibles will lend themselves well to being successful at the CIS level as a Spartan."
Not only has Schmidt experienced individual success, but his teams have also excelled: he was a provincial U15 Champion, was U16 provincial finalists and came fifth at nationals, was fourth at U18, as a U17 year old, was a division two Junior City Champion in 2007 and a division one senior men's bronze medalist in 2009. As well as finishing fifth at elites with Team Alberta in 2007 and first with team Alberta in 2008 and 2009.
Schmidt, who plans to study Business at TWU, has also won many academic awards including being nominated for most outstanding student in grade 11. The Centennial High School student commented on attending TWU in the fall. “Trinity Western is a unique place. I immediately felt I belonged and it was the people and place and I wanted to be around for five years. I feel that I will develop athletically, academically, and will draw closer to God. The team and coaches are an amazing group of guys and I want to be around and learn from men like them so that I will be the kind of person that embodies the Spartans.”
In addition to his volleyball success Schmidt was city champion in intermediate men’s Javelin and Long Jump and was a silver medalist in intermediate men’s Javelin in 2007-2008. He has also medaled in 14 of his 16 AVA tournaments during his club career.
Devyn Plett
The six foot two inch Plett, who will be looked upon to be the setter of the future for the Spartans, has also won numerous individual awards and most recently was named the Winnipeg Sun’s number one ranked player in Manitoba after earning Most Valuable Player honours while leading his Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute team to the top spot at the AAAA Manitoba boys volleyball provincial high school championships this fall.
"The final piece to our next cycle was a setter who could run a dynamic offense and be the floor general to our impressive arsenal of weapons we've been able to amass. Devyn fits that bill to a T. He has a great understanding of the setter position for a young athlete. He is extremely technical in his approach and is a great student of the game. He studies international video extensively and loves the subtleties of the setting position,” commented Josephson. “This discipline and knowledge is the most important aspect of setting and the hardest to train in a young athlete. I'm extremely confident we've been able to acquire the best ball moving setter in the country and one that will be able to carry the torch of Spartan setters for the next five years."
In addition this past year Plett also earned the 2009 Dennis Nord Award as Male High School Player of the year and was named to the 2009 all-Manitoba graduating team.
The honour roll student commented on attending TWU this fall: “TWU has an outstanding volleyball program with a great coach and an awesome group of guys. The thing is, the experience is about a lot more than just volleyball. I'm excited to join the Spartans men's volleyball program, and the TWU community.”
Plett has also been a member of Manitoba’s provincial teams since 2007 and the Winnipeg Strike Volleyball club as a U17 and U18 and the Winman Volleyball Club from U14 to U16. His club teams have won two national championship bronze medals and one silver medal.
The Spartans, who are currently tied for first place in Canada West at 6 – 2 and are ranked sixth in the CIS, will resume Canada West Conference play on Jan. 8-9 when they will host the No. 4 University of Alberta. Match times at the Langley Events Centre are set for 8 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
About TWU:
Trinity Western University, located in Langley, B.C., is a not-for-profit Christian liberal arts university enrolling over 4,000 students this year. With a broad based, liberal arts and sciences curriculum, the University offers undergraduate degrees in 41 major areas of study ranging from business, education and computer science to biology and nursing, and 17 other graduate degrees including counselling psychology, theology and administrative leadership. For more information, visit TWU's Official Athletics site at gospartans.ca.
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport:
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. The CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and 32 World University Championships. For further information, visit www.universitysport.ca.
About CWUAA:
"Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 schools, from Manitoba to B.C., the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in events such as the Olympics or Universiade Games."
-TW-
Last Updated: 2009-12-18
Email: ssstew@twu.ca