WVB: CW record-maker headlines major award honourees

CALGARY – The league’s top two teams each boast an honouree in this year’s major award selections. Canada West released the list Thursday.

The anchor of the 16-2 Alberta Pandas, Kory White is the Player of Year for the second straight time, capping off a historic Canada West career that saw her plaster her name in the conference’s record books.

The 15-1 Trinity Western Spartans’ leader, Ryan Hofer, has earned Coach of the Year honours after shaping together a strong and deep team that found success in a variety of ways this season.

Madelyn Hettinga has been named the Rookie of the Year after an impressive campaign that saw the efficient hitter become an instant contributor for her UBCO Heat.

The fourth and final award winner is Kenzie Vaandering, a Calgary Dino who has made a big difference for her team, her colleagues and her community. She takes home the Student-Athlete Community Service Award.

Alberta is now getting ready to host the Final Four (Trinity Western, British Columbia and and Mount Royal) this weekend. The Championship match is set for Saturday, with the semi-finals going Friday.

You can catch all the action on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kory White

• Alberta Pandas
• Fifth year
• Outside
• Edmonton, AB
• Agriculture, Life & Environ. Sciences

For the second straight year, the conference’s top honour goes to Kory White. The Alberta outside hitter racks up another accolade before hanging her hat on a remarkable Canada West career.

White goes out as the all-time leader in kills and points, posting 1377 and 1567.5 respectively. She has also bolstered her name to second all-time in kills per set with 4.211.

This season alone, White hammered down 245 kills, operating at the conference’s third-best efficiency rating of .320. Her 3.89 kills per set were second-best in the league. White’s dynamic offensive presence and keen eye for opportunity led her Pandas to a 16-2 record on the regular season.

White’s lethal swing and team game will long be remembered in Canada West.

From the coach:

“Kory has been a great player for our team over her career with the Pandas on the court and just as importantly off the court. She is one of the most driven, humble athletes I’ve ever coached who is completely committed to the development process. She is a great teammate, a leader by example and we are all thrilled for her that she is getting this much-deserved recognition.”
– Alberta Pandas head coach Laurie Eisler

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Madelyn Hettinga

• British Columbia Okanagan
• First year
• Middle
• Kelowna, BC
• Human Kinetics

The Rookie of the Year is British Columbia Okanagan’s Madelyn Hettinga. Hettinga found her footing in Canada West right away, putting her mark on the Western Division.

Hettinga’s aggressive spin serve was one to watch out for while her athletic ability in the middle position put opponents on notice.

The Kelowna, BC product swung at an impressive rate of .350, the second highest mark in her program’s history. She is one of three Heat players to post an .800 hitting percentage in a game, while posting 0.72 blocks per set on the season.

Hettinga started 12 of the 13 matches she played with the Heat this season, helping her underdog squad get past the first round of the CW Playoffs.

She will be one to watch in the years to come.

From the coach:

“Madelyn displays incredible athletic ability and is an extremely explosive athlete. I appreciate her thoughtful approach to competition and the team as a whole. Madelyn showed her abilities this season and I believe that she has all the tools to be one of the top athletes in U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball.”
-British Columbia Okanagan Heat head coach Steve Manuel

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Kenzie Vaandering

• Calgary Dinos
• Fourth year
• Outside
• Calgary, AB
• Graduate Studies

Kenzie Vaandering has earned the Student-Athlete Community Service Award after taking the volleyball and academic worlds by storm.

The Kinesiology graduate student has presented at the IOC World Conference for prevention of illness and injury in sport.

She did that while posting a 4.0 GPA and hammering down three kills per set for her Calgary Dinos, good enough for 10^th in the conference.

In whatever spare time that allows, Vaandering volunteers for her community, as a research assistant for the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She has also spent time as a volunteer mentor for at risk youth, a social support for seniors, and a coach for young volleyball players.

Vaandering has left a lasting impact on the community around her.

From the coach:

“As her coach, Kenzie is the type of player who truly makes me wonder how she does it. It would appear to a bystander that Kenzie must have discovered the secret to an 8 day week. The truth is that she is a passionate and dedicated worker. With the team, she is intentional in every action, always giving and asking for excellence. She is organized and efficient with her time, most of which is dedicated to making a positive impact on others in her communities. Her leadership to the team has been a priceless asset to our young team this season. She is a superb role model of a student-athlete, and community contributor, an overall great human being.”
-Calgary Dinos head coach Christine Biggs

COACH OF THE YEAR: Ryan Hofer

• Trinity Western
• Fourteenth year

Trinity Western’s Ryan Hofer has been named the Coach of the Year. This is the second time Hofer has earned the honour. His first was in 2010-2011, when he was also selected the U SPORTS Coach of the Year.

Hofer led his Spartans to an astounding 15-1 record this season, a program record for single-season winning percentage.

Hofer’s expertise guided the Spartans to the top spot in the U SPORTS ranking while relying on a deep bench. Hofer had 11 players play in at least 31 sets this season, proving his program’s strength and systems. Six different players averaged at least one kill per set in the Spartans’ dominant campaign.

From the athletic director:

“I am so proud of Ryan for being honoured with this award.  We all know how Covid has made life much more complicated for everyone and coaches have had to be so creative to keep athletes motivated to improve without regular competition.  Ryan has accepted that challenge and the quality of this year’s team having the best win percentage in our history, is a testament to not only his creativity and hard work but how much he cares about each student athlete.  Ryan is also a coach that learns from others and is willing to share what he has learned with younger coaches.  His team also excels in the classroom and is active in the community.  I’m so thankful I have a coach that cares about the whole person and building into Complete Champions.”
-Trinity Western Spartans director of athletics Jeff Gamache