The efforts which made this the best ever regular season for the Trinity Western Spartans women’s volleyball team did not go unnoticed.The Spartans were awarded both the Canada West coach of the year and rookie of the year awards on Thursday, as well as placing two players on the conference all-star teams.Trinity Western went 15-3 during the season and is playing at the Canada West final four championships this weekend at UBC. One win in either of their two matches will advance the team to the national championships in Laval.Ryan Hofer won coach of the year. In his sixth season with the team, he has built the program into one of the top ones in the country. He is the first women’s volleyball coach from Trinity Western to earn the honour.Alicia Perrin was named rookie of the year. The first-year Human Kinetics student from Creston, established herself as one of the top middles in the conference.She finished second in Canada West with 1.26 blocks per set and ninth in hitting percentage (.250).”She is a fierce competitor who has the ability to dominate the net,” Hofer said. “Alicia plays at the level of a seasoned veteran and has had a significant impact on the league and helped us become (one of) the toughest defensive teams.”Kara Jansen Van Doorn was named a first team all-star, while Amy Leschied made the second team.Trinity Western men’s volleyballOutside/middle hitter Rudy Verhoeff has been named the Canada West nominee for the Dale Iwanoczko Award, given to the country’s top male student-athlete volleyball player.The fourth-year religious studies student has been one of the top offensive threats in the conference all season, averaging 3.91 kills per set, 4.69 points per set and 1.04 blocks per set. He ranks fourth in the first two statistics and tenth in the other.However, it his leadership and work off of the court that sets him apart. In addition to his work on the court, Verhoeff has been a volunteer coach for the past four years with the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club, is a Big Brother, leads the Spartans team in small group study and is a member of TWU’s Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT), which plans events, co-ordinates leadership opportunities among the teams and assists with leadership development programs.“Rudy exemplifies everything you want your athletes to strive to be. He is a fantastic leader on our team. He is a great teammate, friend, student, athlete and man of God,” said TWU coach Ben Josephson. “His example is a great one for all of our athletes and students alike at TWU. He is a role model for our school, team and for me personally.”Verhoeff was also named a Canada West first team all-star while Spartans setter Ben Ball was named a Canada West second team all-star. Ball finished second in CW and third in the CIS with 10.91 assists per set.The Spartans are competing at this weekend’s Canada West final four championships in Edmonton.They will be the host team at the CIS national championships the following weekend at the Langley Events Centre.

Langley Times