A leader on and off the floor for the Douglas College Royals last season, libero Claudia Corneil will be transferring her skill set next season to the UBC Okanagan Heat.
The leader in digs in 2017-18 in the PACWEST conference, the 5-foot-8 product of Surrey will use her fourth and fifth years of eligibility to play Canada West women’s volleyball in Kelowna.
As team captain for the Royals this past season, Corneil was a second-team conference all-star, amassing 359 digs, while leading Douglas to its first provincial title in 23 years.
At the CCAA national championship, the Royals took home a national silver medal with Corneil earning a first team all-star honours.
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary has averaged over 3.15 digs per set in her career at Douglas and also brought home a Provincial Tournament All-Star in leading the Royals to a silver medal in her sophomore season.
Transferring into the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary grad Corneil will look to finish up her degree in Arts.
She moves to the Okanagan to finish her degree close to home and continue to play volleyball which a program that has been ranked in the U SPORTS Top 10 for 55 consecutive ranking weeks.
“I chose UBCO because first of all it’s such a beautiful campus, and it’s also somewhere where I can finish up my last three years of school and not have to transfer again,” said Corneil. I also really love the volleyball program here and what they stand for, I see UBCO as a really good fit for me. It also doesn’t hurt that I’m only four hours away from home.”
Heat coach Steve Manuel likes the laundry list of tools that Corneil will bring as the libero closes off another strong recruiting class for the two-time U SPORTS coach of the year.
ðŸ | WVB Recruit Profile@UBCOHeatWVBall finish off recruiting class with All-Star libero Claudia Corneil from @pacwestbc champion @DCRoyalsWVB
📰 https://t.co/o6un8ZouCd pic.twitter.com/B4BoYZvbSe
— UBCO Heat (@UBCOHeat) May 24, 2018
“We like what Claudia brings to the program, she is a solid passer and defender with a lot of big game experience,” explains Manuel. “She has all the necessary leadership qualities and will be a great fit in our overall team dynamic, not to mention that she will be an awesome teammate. Claudia also brings with her a great knowledge of the game, she has already coached for several seasons at the club level which helps a student athlete truly understand the game.”
Corneil, a one-time product of Team Academy Club Volleyball, can’t wait for training camp to begin this fall and the new challenges that are ahead of her.
“I’m really excited to move on to the next level of volleyball, providing me with opportunities to both challenge and develop myself further as an athlete and person. I’m looking forward to contributing in any way I can in order to help the volleyball program be successful as possible, as well as getting to know all my new teammates.”
Corneil is the only player who has signed with the Heat for this fall UBC Okanagan who is not coming straight out of high school. Joining the libero as new recruits are setter Sarah Demers, Jade Bussard, Samantha Gagnon, Sydney Grills, and Stephanie Temme.
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