2009-10 Canada West major awards and all-stars announced

by CWUAA Communications

EDMONTON - Canada West proudly announces the 2010 women's volleyball individual major award winners and All-Stars, as selected by head coaches across the conference.

Fifth-year UBC outside hitter LIZ CORDONIER has been voted conference MVP by coaches league-wide. A Second Team All-Star for the Thunderbirds last year, the Vancouver native was third in kills per set, with 3.37, and placed eighth in overall hitting percentage, at .281. The Arts major also ranked among the best in service aces (24), helping lead the CIS No. 1-ranked team to a perfect 20-0 regular season record and an automatic berth in the CWUAA Final Four.

In addition to being a league All-Star for the CIS champion T-Birds in 2008-09, Cordonier was also a Second Team All-Canadian for national champion UBC in 2007-08. Liz is the sister of former All-Canadian Emily Cordonier, who also played volleyball for UBC.

"Liz has continued to develop and impresses with her dynamic attacking and skill level," said T-Birds head coach Doug Reimer. "For our team she motivates the group with her inspiring leadership and play. Her experience has been critical to the team during our season as she brings a very high level of competitiveness to her play."

SONIA ROSSY of the Winnipeg Wesmen is the Rookie of the Year. Rossy, from Winnipeg, is a 5'11 left side player from Westwood Collegiate. A first-year Arts student, she was a starter for all 20 regular season matches for the 7-13 Wesmen this past season.

Rossy compiled 176 kills, 293 defensive digs and 28 blocks, placing third in the conference in digs, with 3.71 per set. She finished the regular season with 10+ kills in eight matches and 10+ defensive digs in 14 matches. Rossy, recorded a season-high 20 kills on January 29, fifth-best in Canada West, and a season-high 30 digs on January 22, second-best all season.

"It has been an exciting and surprising freshman season for Sonia, definitely more then we anticipated. Less then a year ago Sonia had a serious shoulder injury that did not allow her to swing in training," said Wesmen head coach Diane Scott, adding, "As a first-year athlete she had some tough lessons along the way, but the most impressive thing is that she is a complete competitor 100%. She does not lack in the energy and fight department and as a first-year lead our team impressively on many nights".

Fourth-year CLAIRE HANNA picked up her second straight Canada West Libero of the Year award this season, leading the No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds with 3.06 digs per game. The Graduate Studies student anchored the top-ranked UBC defence that held opponents to a Canada West best .110 hitting percentage and led the T-Birds to a 20-0 record during the regular season, losing just nine sets overall in the process.

Coach Reimer has been impressed by the talent Hanna has displayed during her career at UBC: "Claire continues to demonstrate the persistence and determination that has led to her success for the past three years as she settled into the libero position after more than two years as a training player only. She remains a great role model for players to show how much can be achieved if you are willing to continue to work to improve and contribute to the team not only on the court but off the court as well."

The Thérèse Quigley student-athlete award nominee is Trinity Western's KIM KLASSEN. During the season, the fifth-year right side player picked up 183 kills, an average of 2.83/set, to go with 195 digs and 213 total points as the Spartans went 13-7 on the year. In the quarter-finals, TWU defeated Alberta two straight matches in a best-of-three series, earning a spot in this week's Final Four at Manitoba.

Klassen, a Nursing student from Abbotsford, B.C., volunteers once a week with Nightshift Street Ministries, working with homeless people and those who are suffering with drug and alcohol addictions in Surrey, B.C. The organization provides food, basic necessities and help to the most vulnerable and needy in the community.

As a nursing student, Klassen is also in the high schools on a weekly basis by going into the local middle schools to teach health promotion and drug and alcohol abuse prevention. This past summer she spent time volunteering in Mexico at an orphanage and medical clinic, offering free health care to those in the community who could not afford health care. She is passionate about healthcare- especially for those who do not have access to the basic healthcare we have in Canada. During the summer she also volunteered at her church running summer camps for kids and teaching Sunday School to a Grade 4 class.

Previously (summer 2007) Kim volunteered in Thailand teaching English and running sports camps for underprivileged kids. She also spent time in Honduras on a volleyball tour with Athletes in Action that same summer. For several summers, Kim has also been involved with coaching volleyball camps with a goal to be a positive role model for the kids.

"Kim has dealt with physical adversity like no other player I have coached. Two life-threatening car accidents that could have taken her life have not prevented her from playing a game that she loves, but have brought her perspective on life and reminded her that there is more to life than just volleyball. Her consistent level of play and leadership on the court have brought stability to the team and has inspired great performances. I am incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to coach her and witness the example of servant-hood she has set for her teammates," said Trinity Western head coach Ryan Hofer.

After guiding the two-time defending CIS champion UBC Thunderbirds to a perfect 20-0 conference season mark in the extremely tough Canada West conference, head coach DOUG REIMER was the clear choice as Coach of the Year. Reimer, now in his 13th season along the T-Birds sideline, last won the award in 2006, when he also received CIS Coach of the Year honours.

The T-Birds completed the first perfect conference season in Canada West women's volleyball since 2004-05, losing only nine sets, the lowest total since the start of rally-point play 1999-00. UBC was the No. 1-ranked team for the entire season and was the top offensive team in the nation, leading CIS with 13.48 kills and 12.54 set assists per game and a .275 team hitting percentage. They also led the country with 330 total blocks and held their opponents to .110 hitting over the regular season.

"To go undefeated in an incredibly competitive conference is nothing short of amazing," noted UBC Associate Athletic Director Theresa Hanson. "Doug understands the importance of developing an elite program both on and off the court. He's not only led UBC to back-to-back CIS championships, but also emphasizes and encourages all-around commitment. This is evident with his student-athletes receiving recognition off the court in academics and the community at large. We are very fortunate to have Doug at the helm of our women's volleyball program, and he is very deserving of this prestigious award."

The list of Canada West All-Stars includes many new names, as the conference saw a big turnover in its star players, but 2009 All-Canadian Rookie Ariel Smith of Winnipeg was voted a Second Team All-Star. UBC's Jen Hinze, 2008 Canada West Rookie of the Year Samantha Loewen of Manitoba, and Brandon Bobcats star Teagan Hunter have all made the grade as conference All-Stars for a second straight year, while 2007-08 All-Stars Beth Clark (Regina) and Ashley Voth (Manitoba) make a return All-Star appearance. In fact, Voth won CIS Rookie of the Year in 2007 and was an All-Canadian in 2008.

Following is a breakdown of all 2009-10 Canada West women's volleyball individual Awards & All-Stars:

Awards
MVP: Liz Cordonier, UBC
Rookie of the Year: Sonia Rossy Winnipeg
Libero of the Year: Claire Hanna, UBC
Thérèse Quigley Award nominee: Kim Klassen, Trinity Western
Coach of the Year: Doug Reimer, UBC

All-Stars

First Team
Liz Cordonier, UBC
Ashley Voth, Manitoba
Jen Hinze, UBC
Beth Clark, Regina
Lauren O'Reilly, TWU
Kyla Richey, UBC

Second Team
Tiffany Proudfoot, Alberta
Teagan Hunter, Brandon
Samantha Loewen, Manitoba
Kara JansenVanDoorn, TWU
Raynell Lavertu, Calgary
Ariel Smith, Winnipeg

Major award winners will automatically become finalists for national awards, to be handed out by Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) as the University of Alberta in Edmonton, March 5-7.

This weekend's Final Four takes place at the University of Manitoba in Winipeg, with the host Bisons opening the event against the Trinity Western Spartans in the semifinals on Friday at 6:00 CT, followed by the UBC Thunderbirds versus the Regina Cougars in another semifinal at 8:00. The bronze and gold medal matches go Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. (Bronze) and 8:00 p.m. (Gold), with the event's top three finishers earning the right to travel to Edmonton for Nationals next weekend.

Games can be seen on University of Manitoba Athletics Live Video

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