MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: LAKERS ADD EXPERIENCE AS THEY INK CHEN

The Nipissing Lakers men’s volleyball team has marked off a few key boxes on their checklist of what they’re looking for in a recruit.

The Lakers are excited and proud to announce the addition of libero, Kelvin Chen, who will join the program for the 2024-25 OUA season.
Making his way to the Lakers from Vancouver, BC, Chen is excited about the next chapter in his volleyball career.

“I am extremely excited to be a Laker, I’m super thankful for all my coaches and teammates that helped me along the way and Coach Eric for giving me this opportunity,” he said.

Chen will suit up for the Lakers after spending time with the NWP Wolves and 604 Volleyball Club, where he won a provincial title, finished third at the Best of the West competition and fifth at nationals, after winning all of their BC Tournaments.

Being able to play for the Lakers and gain an education is part of Chen’s plans as he moves forward in both his academic and athletic journey.

His skills on the court should translate well from the Wolves and 604 as he jumps to the OUA/USports level.

“I am super competitive, downright obsessed with the sport so I obviously want to win, but at the same time I always try to have fun while doing it, trying to stay as loose and relaxed as possible,” he explained. “My style of play is very technical, as a smaller player growing up I knew I had to be very fundamentally sound and be smart in the choices I make on the court.”

Lakers head coach Eric Yung likes the experience Chen brings to the program and explained that it should help him acclimatize to this level or play and contribute to the team.

“We were searching for a libero with some post-secondary experience and found one in Kelvin,” Yung explained. “We look forward to having him on campus in September and help him adjust to our program.”

This is right where Chen wants to be and he’s planning on taking full advantage of his opportunity and is not taking anything for granted as he transitions to the Lakers and Nipissing.

“Playing USport has always been a goal of mine and I never thought I would get to this level so early into my post-secondary career and am super thankful to the program for giving me this chance,” he stated.”