Cole Duncanson and Erik Siksna relish opportunity to play with Canada at the U23 Bicentennial Independence Cup

Cole Duncanson and Erik Siksna of the Queen’s Men’s Volleyball team have spent their summer in Gatineau, Que. training with Canada’s Men’s National Volleyball program. The two were part of Canada’s team for the U23 Bicentennial Independence Cup in Brazil last month and now set their sights on the NextGen roster. Recently, Duncanson was named to the NextGen roster and is currently participating in the U21 Final Six Pan American Cup in Mexico.

Duncanson and Siksna said the experience at the Bicentennial Independence Cup, where they took on national teams from Brazil and Argentina, was an exciting and eye-opening first feel for international competition.

“It was really cool, a really great experience competing with all these high-level guys, the highest level in Canada, then going out and competing internationally for Canada,” said Duncanson. “That was my first taste of international play, repping the Leaf, so that was a great experience. One of the I’ll cherish forever. Just seeing the level of talent down there, the level we’re going to have to match to be able to compete internationally is just really inspiring. Pushing me to keep grinding, keep working hard.”

“It was awesome experience to fully be able to represent Canada again,” echoed Siksna, who was part of Canada’s U21 international roster last summer but couldn’t compete due to injury. “All South American teams are known to be really strong, so getting to see their style of play and try to match it and work tactically against that was a super great experience.”

Both Duncanson and Siksna returned for their second straight summer training with Canada’s national program. Along with Queen’s Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Gabriel deGroot, the two were part of Canada’s Junior Team ahead of the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship last summer.

Siksna (Markham, Ont.) was named a U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian and the OUA East Division Most Valuable Player last season after leading the Gaels with 135.0 points and 108 kills. Siksna, who was also second on Queen’s and fourth in the OUA with 15 service aces, and second on the team with 49 digs, was also named a U SPORTS Top 8 Academic All-Canadian.

Duncanson (St. Catharines, Ont.) was named a Second Team OUA East Division All-Star and an OUA East Division All-Rookie last season. Duncanson finished the 2021-22 season fourth on the Gaels with 73.0 points and 51 kills. The Middle also had 28 blocks, 11 digs, and four service aces for Queen’s this season.

Joining the national program has been a target for both Duncanson and Siksna since they started playing competitive volleyball.

“This is my fifth or sixth year, because I’ve been playing youth national team programs since I was about 16,” said Siksna. “Once I got a taste of that, I started setting my sights a little higher, from youth team, next will be junior team, going to worlds and trying to compete with real competition. So that was kind of like that first step. I was also lucky enough, I was able to spend my whole second year during the COVID year in Gatineau with the full-time training centre, the National Excellence program. Once I got there, and playing with those guys and hearing from them what the lifestyle is like as a national team athlete, I realized this is for me, I think I can I want to go as far as I can.”

“Ever since I started volleyball, it’s always been a goal of mine to represent my country,” said Duncanson. “But never did I think it was achievable until it would have been my U18 year of clubs. So when I was still in grade 12. COVID took away the second half that season, but I got contacted to be part of the virtual program for the summer of 2020. I think it was at that point for me personally, that I thought, ‘Okay, this is real. And this is an achievable goal.'”

It’s been a busy summer for the two training with the national program. After the Gaels won the OUA Bronze Medal in the spring to advance to the U SPORTS Men’s Volleyball Championship, the two have been with the national program in the university off-season. Duncanson and Siksna said the schedule has been a combination of one- and two-session days, with full on-court training and scrimmaging combined with three weight room sessions a week. On a typical day, the athletes will get to the training facility around 8 a.m. and practice for three-four hours while sometimes having a weight room session right after before heading back home to rest and recover for the next day.

Duncanson and Siksna said the team still finds time to relax as well though, and get to know each other.

“We were fortunate to get to go over to Dan Lewis, Volleyball Canada legend, he invited us all over to his house and we’re having a barbecue and bonded as a team, got to relax together as a unit,” said Duncanson.

“On weekends, exploring the city of Ottawa and the area of Gatineau is pretty nice and scenic. There is a lot of stuff to do together as a team.”

The two added it’s been nice to go through the summer training at a high level together as close friends and teammates at Queen’s.

“It’s awesome,” Siksna. “We’re able to push each other and see each other grow. It’s super inspiring to see a guy that I’ve seen play for last couple years now. And knowing that once we’re out of here, he’s still on my team. I obviously want the best for him and best for our team back at Queen’s as well.”

“He’s obviously a guy I can lean on,” Duncanson said of Siksna. “Not to say that the guys here aren’t super inviting and welcoming, but to have that chemistry, have that camaraderie just from spending eight months of the year together,”. “Just having that tighter bond and knowing each other on a deeper level, I feel like that’s definitely been a cool experience just to work with this guy and see him grow and improve.”

Duncanson and Siksna will return to Queen’s in the fall, with the Gaels hoping to have another successful season. The two said they have big goals, both individually and for the team come the winter sports semester.

“Going forward, just accelerating my path through the Volleyball Canada pathway,” said Siksna. “Long term, trying to make that senior national team and hopefully, one day, the Olympic team. Having my goal set high there, and just going to keep chipping away at that. With that being said, bring it back to Queen’s, indvidually, obviously, all year I want to be improving. And then also bringing bring a championship back to Queen’s, and OUA Championships and then one day that a national championship as well.”

“Yeah, my goals are pretty similar in line with that. My intention is to represent my country at the highest level,” Duncanson added. “In terms of my university career, just try to elevate the program as much as I can at Queen’s and leave the jersey better than I found it, as our coach says. Just find success as a team, the goal this year to start will be short term to win the OUA Championship. And then following that would be to bring back that U SPORTS Championship. Put our name in the history books.”

Duncanson is currently in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico playing with Volleyball Canada’s NextGen program in the U21 Final Six Pan American Cup. (Photo via Gobierno del Estado de Nayarit on Facebook)