OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport, in conjunction with Volleyball Canada, announced Friday the coaching and support staff for the Canadian women's volleyball team which will compete at the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea (July 3-14), as well as the 32 players invited to the selection camp in June.
Gwangju 2015 website: www.gwangju2015.comTeam Canada website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/universiade/summer/2015/index Olivier Trudel, head coach of the University of Montreal Carabins since 1999, will be at the helm of the national squad. He also held the position in 2009 in Belgrade, Serbia, before returning to the FISU Games as an assistant coach in 2013 in Kazan, Russia.
"I'm honoured to have been selected as the head coach once again. The Universiade are one of the greatest competitions in the world and it's always exciting to be part of it. We'll have a lot of fun throughout the tournament," said Trudel.
Working alongside Trudel in Gwangju will be
Ryan Hofer and
Michelle Wood.
Hofer, who was named associate head coach, guided his Trinity Western University Spartans to the first CIS title in program history last March. He was also Trudel's assistant in Belgrade in 2009.
"I'm very fortunate to be able to count on someone like Ryan as associate head coach. He will bring a lot to this team and will ensure that we have a logical and achievable direction," said Trudel.
For her part, Wood has guided the Acadia University Axewomen for the past three years. She previously played for the Toronto Varsity Blues from 2005 to 2010.
"Michelle has moved up through the coaching ranks very quickly. She took part in the Canada Games, among other competitions. She is very organized and will bring dynamism as well as a unifying effect to the team."
Rounding out the support staff will be team manager
Mike Ling from Queen's University and athletic therapist
Laurianne Crevier from the University of Montreal. Ling was appointed head coach at Queen's in 2014 after 14 years as an assistant with the Alberta Pandas.
The 32 student-athletes selected to attend the national training camp from June 1-7 in Langley, B.C., were also announced on Friday. These players, all of whom compete for CIS universities, were preselected by coaches from across the country, in cooperation with
Arnd Ludwig, senior national team head coach, and
Julien Boucher, director of Volleyball Canada's women's high-performance program. Twelve of these standouts will make the final roster.
Trinity Western (7), Montreal (5) and Alberta (4) are the best-represented schools on the preliminary list. Overall, 13 universities have at least one athlete competing for a ticket to Gwangju.
Of the group, two players have previous Universiade experience.
Lisa Barclay from UBC and
Alicia Perrin from Trinity Western both wore the Maple Leaf at the last two FISU Games in Kazan (2013) and in Shenzhen, China (2011).
"I'm very excited about the selection camp," Trudel said. "We followed a long, collective process to end up with this national list of 32. Many coaches took part in the process. We wanted the cream of the crop and that's what we got, and more. Even more satisfying is the fact every girl we invited to the final camp accepted the invitation, except one. It will be a very competitive camp and picking the 12 best will be no easy task.
"I also want to mention the contribution of University of Ottawa head coach Lionel Woods, who served as liaison with Volleyball Canada. He did an exceptional job and we thank him for it."
"We're impressed with the group of athletes who will compete for a spot on our all-CIS team this summer," said Julien Boucher. The FISU program is an important component of our national team program. The athletes who will represent Canada in Gwangju will gain precious experience and will enhance our senior program in the long term."
With a sixth-place finish at the last Universiade in Kazan, Canada matched its third best result in women's volleyball at the FISU Games. The Canucks placed fourth in 1983 in Edmonton and in 1997 in Sicily, Italy, and had also finished sixth in 1985 in Kobe, Japan.
In the preliminary round of the 16-team Gwangju tournament, Canada will battle in Group D with Thailand, Turkey and Zimbabwe. The official schedule will be released shortly.
PLAYERS INVITED TO NATIONAL SELECTION CAMP
Name Height University Hometown SettersNikki Cornwall 5-10 Trinity Western Coquitlam, B.C.
Jordhynn Guy 6-0 Calgary Calgary, Alta.
Katia Forcier 5-10 Montreal Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.
Brittany Habing 5-8 Manitoba East St. Paul, Man.
Mary Thomson 5-10 Brandon Brandon, Man.
Kim Robitaille 5-11 Sherbrooke Repentigny, Que.
Middles
Abigail Keeping 6-2 UBC Surrey, B.C.
Dione Lang 6-4 Alberta Killam, Alta.
Jaylynn Moffatt 6-1 Calgary Calgary, Alta.
Alicia Perrin 6-2 Trinity Western Creston, B.C.
Alexane L. Joly 6-0 Montreal Montreal, Que.
Katie Devaney 6-1 Trinity Western Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Hitters
Lisa Barclay 6-2 UBC Brandon, Man.
Danielle Brisebois 6-0 UBC Bolton, Ont.
Sophie Carpentier 6-2 Trinity Western Ottawa, Ont.
Meg Casault 5-10 Alberta Edmonton, Alta.
Karly Janssen 6-1 Alberta Edmonton, Alta.
Elizabeth Wendel 6-1 Trinity Western Caronport, Sask.
Royal Richardson 6-1 Trinity Western Rocky Mountain House, B.C.
Marie-Alex Bélanger 6-1 Montreal Joliette, Que.
Vicky Savard 6-1 Montreal Ottawa, Ont.
Michelle Jakszuk 6-1 UBC Okanagan Gibsons, B.C.
Charlotte Sider 5-11 Toronto Ottawa, Ont.
Myriam English 6-0 Ottawa Orléans, Ont.
Anna Dunn-Suen 6-0 Dalhousie Halifax, N.S.
Jennifer Neilson 6-0 Toronto Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Liberos
Jessie Niles 5-10 Alberta Turner Valley, Alta.
Kristen Moncks 5-9 Trinity Western Standard, Alta.
Marisa Mota 5-8 Dalhousie Kitchener, Ont.
Sonia Rossy 6-0 Winnipeg Winnipeg, Man.
Joanie Whittom 5-3 Sherbrooke Sept-Îles, Que.
Stéphanie Lojen 5-7 Montreal Montreal, Que.
STAFF
Position Name University
Head Coach Olivier Trudel Montreal
Associate Head Coach Ryan Hofer Trinity Western
Assistant Coach Michelle Wood Acadia
Team Leader Mike Ling Queen's
Athletic Therapist Laurianne Crevier Montreal
