Kacey Jost wins CW Libero of the Year, Doug Reimer named Coach of the Year

VANCOUVER – Following the UBC Thunderbirds’ best regular season in a decade, Doug Reimer has been named the 2023-24 Canada West Women’s Volleyball Coach of the Year while Kacey Jost has won her second straight Libero of the Year award.

Amassing 270 total digs in her final Canada West season for an average of 3.21 per set, Jost becomes the second Thunderbird to win back-to-back Libero of the Year awards since Claire Hanna did so in 2008-10.

Appearing in all but one of UBC’s 85 sets played, Jost allowed just 12 service aces against while leading the conference’s top defensive team which lost just 15 sets over the course of the entire season while limiting opponents to a hitting percentage under .100.

Thanks in large part to Jost’s solid leadership on defence, the T-Birds finished the campaign 22-2 in first place in the Canada West for the first time in ten years.

Reimer’s Coach of the Year Award is his first such conference honour since 2009-10 and his third all-time with UBC having also won twice with Winnipeg and once with Victoria. In 2023-24, Reimer led the T-Birds to the top of the standings and home court advantage throughout the Canada West playoffs for the first time in 10 years. This, despite graduating six members of last year’s national championship winning team.

The T-Birds finished the regular season second in hitting percentage (.249), fourth in kills-per-set (12.26) and first in points-per-set (17.6).

Reimer’s 27^th season with the T-Birds saw one of the most dominant campaigns in program history having lost just 15 total sets over 24 matches. The ten-time U SPORTS champion head coach (nine of which have been with UBC), is on a quest for the T-Birds’ first back-to-back national titles since he led the team to six straight banners between 2008 and 2023.

Having already clinched their berth at next week’s U SPORTS tournament in Hamilton, Ontario, the T-Birds host the Manitoba Bisons this Saturday, March 9 for a crack at their first conference title since 2014. First serve for the single match Canada West championship is set for 5:00 p.m. PT at War Memorial Gym. Tickets are available online and the match will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.