The Trinity Western Spartans — led by the Canada West libero of the year and a pair of first-team all-stars — are seeded fourth for the national championships.
The Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s volleyball national championships kick off on Thursday (Feb. 28) in Sherbrooke, Que. with the Spartans facing the No. 5 Dalhousie Tigers.
The Spartans finished second over the weekend at the Canada West championships, losing to UBC in four sets 3-1 (25-23,18-25,25-19,25-20).
They had defeated Alberta 3-1 (25-20,23-25,25-12,25-22) in the semifinals.
Kristen Moncks was voted the conference libero of the year after a season in which she was second in Canada West play with 3.26 digs per set.
It was her first season in Langley after transferring from Medicine Hat College.
“She brings a ton of control to the back court when it comes to serve receive,” said Spartans coach Ryan Hofer.
“She is a great defender who reads the play well.
“She’s quick, she’s fast, she brings a lot of passion to the floor and she’s a great teammate.”
Alicia Perrin and Kelci French were named Canada West first team all-stars.
Perrin finished the regular season second in blocks with 1.31 per set, third in the conference in hitting percentage at .336 and ninth in points with 3.57 per set.
It was the second straight year she earned all-star accolades. She was also the conference’s top rookie and was named to the CIS all-rookie team last year.
French finished the regular season tied for first in the conference with 0.53 aces per set, was sixth in Canada West with 8.80 assists per set and was third on the Spartans in digs, with 2.18 per set. French also set the TWU record for aces in a season, with 39.
She is also a former Canada West and CIS rookie of the year, earning the honours in 2008/09 when she played with the Alberta Pandas.
