Burlington, Ont. – They are individuals who are among the most elite athletes in Canadian university sports. And their talents often extend well beyond the court. Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is pleased to announce the 2019-2020 men's volleyball award winners and all-stars, an impressive group highlighted by a veteran and rookie from the Queen's Gaels. 

Player of the Year (East) – Zac Hutcheson, Queen's Gaels 
The defending OUA champion Queen's Gaels got off to a strange start this season, dropping their first two matches to the York Lions and Nipissing Lakers, while only taking a single set. One thing immediately became clear – the Gaels are a much better team when Zac Hutcheson (Kingston, Ont.) is in the lineup. The sensational fifth-year outside hitter was out the first few games of the season with an injury, but the inevitable Queen's reset seemed to coincide with his return. Hutcheson was able to raise his level of play one year after earning OUA first team all-star honours. The Engineering student was a clinical finisher up front, producing the second-best hitting percentage in the conference at .365 and registering 3.29 kills per set, which ranked him seventh overall among all OUA players. Hutcheson was also a weapon in the service game, ending the regular season ninth in aces per set at 0.36. Despite missing matches early, he still racked up 221.5 total points, which put him seventh in the league in that telling category. Numbers aside, Hutcheson has an undeniable impact on the Gaels because of his willingness to sacrifice and set an example for his teammates. It's no surprise that he manufactured one of his biggest performances of last season with the Forsyth Cup on the line. It may have taken him a few games to get back into the lineup, but when he did, Hutcheson carried the experience of a championship year with him in reaching new heights throughout the 2019-20 campaign. 

Dale Iwanoczko Award of Merit (East) – Zac Hutcheson, Queen's Gaels 
The Gaels' veteran isn't just an MVP on the court. Hutcheson takes his role in the Kingston community and his academics seriously as well, which is why his name is on the Dale Iwanoczko Award for the second consecutive year. Young volleyball players around Kingston have likely heard of Hutcheson. He has spent the last few years as a volunteer coach with the Pegasus Volleyball Club U18 boys and has also offered his expertise in the sport at both Molly Brant Elementary School and Mother Teresa Elementary. In addition to those coaching duties, Hutcheson has also worked on introducing a summer development camp in the area so young players can hone their skills on a year-round basis. As is the case on the court, there is little room for error in the classroom as an Engineering student and Hutcheson has maintained an excellent academic record. He is a former Academic All-Canadian and has been a Dean's Scholar on multiple occasions, while also being awarded the Principal's Scholarship in his first two years at the university. 

Rookie of the Year (East) – Erik Siksna, Queen's Gaels 
As Hutcheson prepares to wrap up his time with the Tricolour, another is just beginning, and in doing so, could have understandably felt some pressure joining a championship-calibre team as a young athlete. But Eric Siksna (Markham, Ont.) wasn't fazed in the slightest. The towering 6'5" outside hitter from St. Augustine HS enjoyed an incredible first year with the reigning OUA champions Gaels. Siksna had little trouble adjusting to the pace and high level of OUA volleyball and the numbers proved that. The School of Business student ranked ninth in the conference in points (201.5) and 10th in kills (164), but was able to produce those stats while maintaining an efficient .294 hitting percentage (fourth in the OUA). Siksna also brings an elite service game to the table and he wound up ranking fourth in the league with 24 aces and fifth in aces per set at 0.41. He was a former recipient of the Ken Davis Memorial Award handed out by Ontario Volleyball to a male player 18 or under for their on-court accomplishments and work in the community, as well as member of Canadian youth national teams. And if his first year at the OUA level is any indication, there will be much more hardware to come. 

Two more Gaels were also honoured as OUA All-Stars as setter Zane Grossinger, who led the OUA in assists per set at 10.25 and outside hitter, Adam Boljkovac, who was third in OUA kills per set at 3.78, were both named East first-team All-Stars.

Major Award Winners 
East Division 
Player of the Year – Zac Hutcheson, Queen's 
Rookie of the Year – Erik Siksna, Queen's 
Dale Iwanoczko Award of Merit – Zac Hutcheson, Queen's 
Coach of the Year – John Barrett, Toronto  

West Division 
Player of the Year – Pierce Johnson, Windsor 
Rookie of the Year – Jonathan Pickett, Guelph 
Dale Iwanoczko Award of Merit – Jordan Pereira, McMaster  
Coach of the Year – Dave Preston, McMaster 

First Team All-Stars (East) 
Zac Hutcheson, Queen's 
Xander Ketrzynski, Ryerson 
Chris Towe, Toronto 
Zane Grossinger, Queen's 
Jordan Figueira, Toronto 
Adam Boljkovac, Queen's 
Evan Falardeau, Toronto 

First Team All-Stars (West) 
Pierce Johnson, Windsor 
Nathan Delguidice, McMaster 
Matt Passalent, McMaster 
Jackson Bere, Western 
Zarko Ubiparip, Guelph 
Logan House, Brock 
Craig Ireland, McMaster 

Second Team All-Stars (East) 
Jeremie Murray, Nipissing 
Jackson Young Nipissing 
Greg Vukets, Ryerson 
Erik Siksna, Queen's 
Navreet Suhan, Ryerson 
Andrew Shotbolt, York 
Jasper Neale, Toronto 

Second Team All-Stars (West) 
Dami Alalade, Windsor 
Ben Kissack, Guelph 
Peter Schnabel, Brock 
David Doty, McMaster 
Nolan Langley, Windsor 
Colm Guyn, Waterloo 
Jackson Paterson, Guelph 

All-Rookie Team (East) 
Erik Siksna, Queen's 
Jackson Young, Nipissing 
Jasper Neale, Toronto 
Luke De Greeff, York 
Josh Nicholson, Nipissing 
Michael Rowsell, RMC 
Derek Webster, Ryerson 

All-Rookie Team (West) 
Jonathan Pickett, Guelph 
Wojtek Kraj, McMaster 
Josiah Esau, Western 
Isaac Nesbitt, Waterloo 
Steven Abrams, Windsor 
Sam Cooper, McMaster 
Saulius Lianga, Brock