TWU's RHONDA SCHMULAND CLAIMS THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY AWAR

2006 CIS women’s volleyball championship

TWU's RHONDA SCHMULAND CLAIMS THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY AWARD
Laval's Marylene Laplante named player of the Year, TWU's Julie Blackburn named Libero of the Year

March 1, 2006

CALGARY – Marylène Laplante of the Laval University Rouge et Or is the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s volleyball player of the year for the 2005-06 season.

Laplante of St-Elzéar-de-Beauce, Que. claims the Mary Lyons Award for the second time, becoming the seventh multiple-winner of the award. She was previously honoured in 2002-03.

Other major award winners announced on Wednesday night during the Husky All-Canadian Awards Dinner held at the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary were McGill University’s Jennifer Thomson of Rosemere, Que., who received rookie-of-the-year honours, Trinity Western University’s Julie Blackburn of Surrey, B.C., who became the first recipient of the new libero of the year award, University of British Columbia’s Doug Reimer of Kelowna, B.C., chosen coach of the year for the fourth time, and Rhonda Schmuland of Calgary, also from Trinity Western, recipient of the Thérèse Quigley Award recognizing her excellence in volleyball, academics and community involvement.

Laplante, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, led the Quebec conference with 4.02 points per game (fifth CIS) and finished fourth with 2.89 kills per game. She also led the nation with 0.74 service aces per set, and finished among the top 10 in Quebec in digs, blocks and kill percentage. The 25-year-old MBA student, who led the Rouge et Or to an unblemished 34-0 overall record and the QSSF title in 2005-06, earned her fourth nomination as an all-Canadian in as many years of CIS competition, her third on the first squad.

A member of the Canadian team at the 2005 Summer Universiade in Izmir, Turkey Laplante was back with the Rouge et Or this season after a one-year absence. She played professional ball in France with Lyon Saint-Fons in 2004-05.

“Marylène is the undisputed leader of our team,” says Laval first-year head coach Benoit Robitaille, who won back-to-back collegiate AAA national championships with Laplante in 2000 and 2001 while coaching Cegep F.-X.-Garneau. “She is a complete player who excels at every position on the court. Having her back this year has played a huge part in our success.”

Thomson, a 19-year-old power hitter who was recruited out of John Abbott College, finished among the QSSF leaders in almost every category in her freshman year with the Martlets, including fifth in points (3.24), kills (2.84) and service aces (0.29). Also named to the second all-Canadian team, she was an all-star at three different tournaments over the course of the season (McGill, Montreal and Ottawa).

“Jennifer made an immediate impact on our team,” comments McGill head coach Rachèle Béliveau. “She is one of the few freshmen I’ve seen from Quebec to step in our lineup and be able to contribute this much right away.”

Blackburn finished second in the Canada West conference with 293 total defensive digs (fourth in CIS) and 4.01 digs per game, and led the Spartans to their first appearance at the national championship in their seventh year of CIS competition.

Reimer led the top-seeded Thunderbirds to a 19-1 regular-season record, four straight wins in the playoffs, and their first Canada West banner since 1999. He had already been named CIS coach of the year on three previous occasions, in 1992-93 and ’93-94 with Winnipeg, and in ‘85-86 with Victoria.

Schmuland is a four-time Academic all-Canadian who has volunteered for such organizations as the Mustard Seed Street Ministry, the Youth Crisis Hotline, and Habitat for Humanity. The 6-foot-1 middle led the nation this season with 1.55 blocks per set.

The all-Canadian teams were also announced on Wednesday, with No. 1 UBC and second-seeded Laval both placing two athletes on the seven-member first all-star squad.

Joining Laplante on the first CIS team are teammate Caroline Fiset of Joliette, Que., Thunderbirds Emily Cordonier of Vancouver and Shelley Chalmers of Burnaby, B.C., Montreal’s Melody Benhamou of Guadaloupe, Toronto’s Anastasia Danilova of Russia, and Alberta’s Tawana Wardlaw of Edmonton.

Fiset, Cordonier and Danilova all receive the honour for the second straight season, while Wardlaw was a member of the top squad two years ago. Benhamou had been named to the second team the last two seasons, while Chalmers was a second-teamer in 2004-05.

The 2006 CIS women’s volleyball championship, hosted by the University of Calgary, gets under way on Thursday, March 2 with four quarter-final match-ups. The No. 7 Windsor Lancers and No. 2 Laval Rouge et Or take the court first at 1 p.m. MT (local). The championship final is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT (local), and will be televised live on TSN.

Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_volleyball/2006

TISSOT - MARY LYONS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Marylène Laplante, Laval University Rouge et Or

Fourth-year outside hitter Marylène Laplante of St-Elzéar-de-Beauce, Que. is the 2005-06 recipient of the Mary Lyons Award as CIS women’s volleyball player of the year. Laplante had already received the honour in her sophomore season in 2002-03, and remains the only Rouge et Or player in history to claim the MVP title. She joins Calgary’s Joanna Niemczewska (2005, ’04), Alberta’s Jenny Cartmell (2000, 1999), Alberta’s Miroslava Pribylova (’97, ’96), Manitoba’s Michelle Sawatzky (’92, ’91), Winnipeg’s Brenda Boroski (1988, ’87), and Winnipeg’s Jamie Hancharyk (’84, ’83) as a two-time winner.

Back with the Rouge et Or after one year playing professional volleyball in France with Lyon Saint-Fons, the 25-year-old MBA student was also named an all-Canadian for the fourth time in as many years of CIS competition. She earned second-team honours in her freshman campaign in 2001-02, and her first two nominations on the top squad in 2002-03 and ‘03-04. This season, Laplante led the Quebec conference with 4.02 points per game (fifth CIS) and finished fourth with 2.89 kills per game. She also led the nation with 0.74 service aces per set, and finished among the top 10 in Quebec in digs (2.92/g), blocks (0.54/g) and kill percentage (28%). Her strong play helped the QSSF champion Rouge et Or build an unblemished 34-0 overall record going into the CIS nationals.

A member of the Canadian team at the 2005 Summer Universiade in Izmir, Turkey Laplante was recruited by Laval after winning the collegiate AAA national title in each of her final two seasons at Cegep F.-X.-Garneau, in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Garneau was then coached by first-year Rouge et Or bench boss Benoit Robitaille. Laplante also led the Rouge et Or to CIS bronze in 2003-04.

THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY AWARD: Rhonda Schmuland, Trinity Western University Spartans

Rhonda Schmuland of Calgary is the 2005-06 recipient of the Thérèse Quigley Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievement of a student-athlete in the areas of academics, community involvement, and volleyball. She becomes, along with teammate Julie Blackburn (see Libero of the year), the first major award winner from TWU in CIS women’s volleyball

A four-time Academic all-Canadian, Schmuland will graduate in April 2006 suma cum laude. A team captain for the past three years, the 6-foot-1 middle also excels on the court and led the nation this season with 1.55 blocks per game. She concludes her career as a Spartan ranked first on the team for career block assists (288), total blocks (345) and games played (332), and second in solo blocks (57).

Rhonda Schmuland, is the recipient of many athletic awards, including 2005 Puget Sound Invitational Player of the Game, 2005 Canada West Second Team All Conference, and 2004 Trinity Western University MVP.

Schmuland is an excellent student, who will graduate in April 2006 suma cum laude. She has also been an Academic All-Canadian for the past 4 years. Schmuland's coach, Carol Hofer, says Rhonda is a true servant-leader with a soft heart for people in need. As a team captain for 3 years, she has demonstrated what it means to truly care for others and place their needs ahead of her own. She has set a positive example for her teammates to follow and encouraged them along the way. Schmuland has volunteered for such organizations as the Mustard Seed Street Ministry, the Youth Crisis Hotline, Habitat for Humanity, and has arranged Christmas hampers for local needy families while attending Simon Fraser Junior High. She also spent time in Mexico handing out eyeglasses with Operation Eyesight.

Schmuland lead the team with 88 blocks and was also the team leader with 1.42 blocks/game. She came up big for the Spartans in the opening game of the best of three play-off series against Regina, pounding out a season high 10 kills and putting up a season high 10 blocks. Rhonda had a season high nine digs Jan. 6 against Alberta. Against Brandon on Nov. 26 she blasted eight kills with no errors and tallied a 67% kill percentage. Schmuland concludes her career as a Spartan ranked second in career solo blocks, with 57, first in block assists, with 288, first in total blocks, with 345 and first in games played, at 332.

Rhonda has played a significant role over the last few years in leading the women’s volleyball program into the National spotlight. Over the past two seasons the Spartans have been a mainstay in the CIS national top ten rankings. This year TWU earned their first ever Canada West medal by defeating Calgary 3-2 in the bronze medal match.  The Spartans, who have been ranked as high as 5th in the CIS top ten rankings, are participating in their first ever CIS national championship this weekend in Calgary.

LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Julie Blackburn, Trinity Western University Spartans

Julie Blackburn, a junior from Surrey, B.C. is the first recipient of the new CIS women’s volleyball libero of the year award. She also becomes, along with teammate Rhonda Schmuland (see Thérèse Quigley Award), the first major award winner from TWU in CIS women’s volleyball.

For the past three seasons Julie Blackburn has been keeping the ball from hitting the ground for the Trinity Western University Spartans. The third year business major has made an impact for the Spartans since she first took the floor, her positioning and passing skills are among the best in the country. Her performance on the court this season has been remarkable. She currently holds the top two spots in Canada West for total digs in a match with 27 and 26. She finished third in the CIS for total digs at 312 and sits second in Canada West in digs per game at 4.01, missing the top spot by .02, while finishing second in total digs.

Julie currently holds all of the TWU records for digs. She went over the 1,000 dig mark for career digs in a 3-2 win over Calgary in the Canada West bronze medal match. She currently sits at 1,010. Julie holds the single season record at 433, set in 2004-05. But she is currently at 418 for the 2005-06 season and most likely with a minimum of two matches remaining, she will get the 15 digs to set a new single season TWU record. Julie also holds the single match total with 27 digs set against SFU on Jan. 27 in a 3-0 win over SFU.

CIS SECOND TEAM ALL-CANADIAN: Liz Spear, Trinity Western Univerity Spartans

Liz Spear, a 6’2” middle blocker/right side hitter, returned to her Langley roots this year after playing for two years at Washington State University. Because of the transfer rule she was not eligible to compete for the Spartans until November 20th, 2005, but was allowed to practice with the team. Spear made her debut in Spartan Blue and Gold on the road at Winnipeg on December 2nd and 3rd, recording a quiet 5 kills, 1 ace and 1 block in the first match before finding her groove in the second to fill the stat sheet with 16 kills, 1 ace, 4 digs, and 1 block. Her league match debut at home was no less impressive, helping the Spartans to achieve one of the biggest wins in their history: a 3-2 defeat of then-#2-ranked Alberta in which Spear tallied 16 kills (at 39.3%), 1 ace, 4 digs, and 1 block. In her 64 games played, Spear has had a significant impact in the Spartans’ success as the Spartans made their first ever Canada West final four appearance, where they earned a bronze medal.

Her stand-out performance this season has earned her a Canada West all-star as well as being named CIS all-Canadian. Spear finished second in Canada West in kill percentage at .385 (sixth in CIS), third in points per game at 3.67 and sixth in kill’s per game at 2.83 and block’s per game at 1.00. She finished the season tied for second in Canada West for most blocks in a match with ten vs Regina (Feb 16, 2006)

TISSOT - MARK TENNANT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Thomson, McGill University Martlets

Jennifer Thomson of the McGill Martlets is the 2005-06 CIS rookie of the year and becomes the second player from McGill to win the Mark Tennant Award, joining Anie de la Fontaine who captured the honours in 1994-95. Thomson, a 5-foot-7 power-hitter from Rosemere, Que., was also named to the second all-Canadian team, after earning all-conference and all-rookie honours in the Quebec league. She was named an all-star at three different tournaments this season (McGill, Montreal and Ottawa). The 19-year-old physical education freshman led McGill to a school record 11-5 second-place finish and ranked among the Quebec league leaders in almost every category, finishing fifth in points per game (3.24), kills (2.84) and service aces (0.29), sixth in assists (2.35) and 13th in digs (2.75).

A former team captain with John Abbott College, Thomson comes from an athletic family as her mother (Valerie) also played volleyball for McGill and her father (Bruce) played basketball and volleyball at the University of Guelph. Her older brother (Sandy) is currently a freshman on the McGill Redmen volleyball team.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Doug Reimer, University of British Columbia Thunderbirds

A native of Kelowna, B.C., Doug Reimer is named CIS coach of the year for the fourth time in his career, but his first with the Thunderbirds. He was previously honoured in back-to-back years while at Winnipeg (1993-94, ’92-93), and in 1985-86 with Victoria. He becomes the fourth UBC bench boss to receive the award, joining Erminia Russo (1997-98), Donna Baydock (1988-89) and Dianne Murray (1977-78).

In his 10th season as head coach of the Thunderbirds, Reimer guided his troops to a 19-1, first-place Canada West finish, and the school’s first conference championship since 1999. He is carrying a 170-61 career regular season and playoff record with UBC heading into the 2006 CIS championship, and has led the ‘Birds to two silver (2005, ’97) and two bronze medals (2002, ’96) at nationals. Reimer played volleyball at the University of Victoria, where he was a two-time all-Canadian setter and was honoured with UVic’s top student-athlete award. He was the head coach of UVic from 1985-87, then went on to coach Saskatchewan’s Canada Games team to a gold medal before leading the University of Winnipeg to a CIS title in 1994-95.

Reimer came to UBC for the 1994-95 season, coached for three successful campaigns at UBC – left to become the full-time head coach of Team Canada – and returned to the Point Grey campus for the 2000-01 season. His major accomplishments with Team Canada included a fifth-place finish at the 1997 Universiade in Sicily. Doug and wife Barbara, a professor of political science at UBC, have a five-year-old daughter named Katie-Anne.

2005-06 CIS WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ALL-CANADIANS

First Team

Position Athlete                            University Year  Hometown                           Faculty
Hitter  Marylène Laplante             Laval        4  St-Elzear-de-Beauce, Que.    MBA
Middle  Melody Benhamou          Montreal  4  Abymes, Guadaloupe             Administration
Middle  Shelley Chalmers           UBC         5   Burnaby, B.C.                           Human Kinetics
Left Side Emily Cordonier            UBC         5  Vancouver, B.C.                       Arts
Setter / RS Anastasia Danilova  Toronto    3  St. Petersburg, Russia          Arts & Science
Hitter  Caroline Fiset                     Laval        4  Joliette, Que.                            Education
Outside Tawana Wardlaw          Alberta       5  Edmonton, Alta.                      Phys. Ed. & Recreation

Second Team
Setter / LS Tiffany Dodds        Alberta   2       Lucky Lake, Sask.     Phys. Ed. & Recreation
LS / RS      Christine Lamey   Ottawa    3       Kanata, Ont.              Leisure Studies
Left Side    Melissa Mann       Western 3       London, Ont.              King’s College
Setter         Natalie Schwartz  Calgary   5       St. Albert, Alta.            Communications & Culture
Middle       Liz Spear                TWU        3       Langley, B.C.              Mathematics
Hitter  Laetitia Tchoualack     Montreal 1       Paris, France              Communication
Power Jennifer Thomson      McGill      1       Rosemere, Que.        Physical Education

All-Rookie Team
Power        Jennifer Thomson  McGill        1   Rosemere, Que.             Physical Education
Left Side    Marlee Bragg           Winnipeg  1  St. Andrews, Man.            Arts
Middle       Beth Clark                Regina       1  Regina, Sask.                   Campion Science
Setter / RS Ali Greey                 Toronto       1  Toronto, Ont.                     Arts & Science
Setter         Jennifer Holt           McMaster   1   Hamilton, Ont.                  Kinesiology
Middle       Julie Rodrigue         Laval          1   St-Georges-de-Beauce, Que. Industrial relations
Power        Sasha Wilkins         Memorial   1  Gambo, Nfld.                     Unspecifed

Last Updated: 2009-02-16
Author: Scott Stewart
Email: ssstew@twu.ca