The College of the Rockies Avalanche women’s volleyball program added some size at the middle blocker position last week, signing Julie-Anna Schaar from Stony Plain, Alberta.
At 5’11, Schaar played her final season of high school volleyball this past fall with Memorial Composite High School and helped guide them to a third-place finish at the 4A Alberta Provincial Championships.
The podium-finish was the highest result in the school’s history and an exciting accomplishment for the young athlete.
“It was great to make school history in [my]last season playing high school volleyball,” Schaar said in an Avs press release. “I’ve always loved BC [though] and am ready for a new adventure.”
In addition to her school team, Schaar is also a part of the Northern Alberta Volleyball Club (NAVC) and earned a third-place finish in the Premier One division.
“Having had the opportunity to watch a lot of video and live gameplay of Julie-Anna I feel very comfortable knowing what she will be able to bring to the collegiate level,” said Avs head coach John Swanson. “Her experience playing high-level high school and club volleyball will serve her well as she transitions into [our program]”.
Schaar plans to study Kinesiology at the COTR and ultimately chose to join the Avs program after touring the facilities and practicing with her future teammates. She is the fifth member of the COTR women’s team’s 2018-19 recruiting class, joining Abigail Taggart, Cate Sykes, Katie Anderson and Sam Lautrup.
