2 Big wins

We just had our final games of the first term and came out with two VERY important wins vs the UofS Huskies. Going into the match we were sitting at 2-6 and did not want to add any more obstacles for the second term.
The first night we came out ready to go and so did the Huskies. Going into the game the Huskies were behind us in the Canada West standings but still was not a team that we could take lightly. We came out with some great energy and playing really well in the first set and cruised to a 25-17 victory. The game got a little sloppy in the next couple sets as neither team was attacking at a high level. Sask ended up winning the next two sets and were all of a sudden up 2-1 which to most in the war memorial gym was a shocker. We knew coming into the 4th set that we had some work to do and we really needed to execute our game plan and play aggressively to come out on top. The 4th set proved to be an exciting one. Both teams exhanged points for most of the match until we were able to pull away slightly after 20. Chris Klassen game into the game as a blocking sub and got a HUGE block for us to give us a the advantage. After exchanging a few more points we snuck out with a 25-23 with a big hammer block by Joco and Springs. (Joe Cordonier and Milo Warren)
Going into the 5th set we really put together a great effort and played a nice 5th set. We came out and earned a 3 point lead although the huskies showed a bit of fight and clawed back to tie the frame at 4's. we went on an 11-2 run to close out the game highlighted by Klassen again who came in and put on a serving and play making clinic to propel the birds to victory.Springs led us in kills the with 16 kills while Demijan Savija tallied 12. Cary Brett posted another nice stat line for the T-Birds in the middle with nine kills on .533 hitting to go along with one solo and two block assists.
After the game we were fortunate enough to come out with the win but again an inconsistent performance. We knew that going into saturday we needed a tougher performance

Saturday night we entered the match knowing it would be our last of the first semester and we really wanted to go into the break on a positive note. We also wanted to prove we could put together a more consistent match. When it as all said an done we came out with a 3-1 win. The match was for sure more consistent then the prior but we still had some opportunities to be a very efficient squad that we missed out. Demijan Savija had a huge night for us, pounding home 23 kills with a 44% attack efficiency which is statistically his best night as a Thunderbird. Offensively most of the team was performing well. We hit above .300% in every set but the second.

We now have the Christmas break and will resume play in January. The month of December will offer a rest from competition but we will still be training hard during the exam period. Look forward to seeing everyone back at War Memorial for our next home games Jan 21/22

Thanks for reading and happy holidays!
-Team volleyhype

two wins, two loses

Hello thunderbird fans.
It has been two weeks since our last update (sorry) and quite a bit has happend in those two weeks. Nov 12/13th we were in Winnipeg, Manitoba for a weekend series vs UofW Wesmen. Going into the weekend we were still a win less team with an 0-4 record but felt we had been improving every game. PLaying any Manitoba team in our conference is always tough, especially if it is on the road. We knew in order to be successful we would have to play at a consistent level the whole way through. After watching the womens team take two 3-1 wins from the Wesmen we followed in suit as we also won both matches 3-1. Both nights were fairly similar with our left side Ben Chow and Milo Warren picking up a large number of kills. All the specific details can be found at www.gothunderbirds.ca
This past weekend was a chance for us to keep our winning streak alive as we returned to Manitoba. This time we were matched up with the UofM Bisons. Friday night started of great for us. We came out with some unbelievable energy in a gym that felt empty. We really dictated the match in that first set, winning the battle on both the offensive and defensive side. Our lineup again saw Joe Cordonier playing rightside and this giving room for Yari Kozel to get the start in his hometown of Winnipeg. After exchanging blows for most of the game it was the Bisons who came out on top with a 3-1 win. The match saw many ups and downs as neither team seemed to have a consistent level of play. Down the stretch we were unable to finish sets or play at the level we needed to after 20.
The 2nd night, the Birds came out strong again, motivated to leave the Peg with a W. They took the first set led by high level attacking from Milo "Springs" Warren. The Bisons evened it up at 1, and went on to take the lead 2-1 after a hard fought 3rd set. The Birds would not give up and tied it up after a tight 26-24 4th set. Unfortunately they ran out of gas and lost the 5th in a heartbreaker. The level of play by the Tbirds was much greater on the 2nd night, but the Bisons stepped up even more taking home the sweep. The birds return to Van City to finish off the first semester against the Sask Huskies at the historic War Memorial Gym Nov 26 and 27.

Be sure to try to make it out to these matches as they will be our last contests befor the christmas break.
On Friday The Women play at 1pm followed by the men at 3 pm
Saturday we return to the regular times with the women starting at 6pm followed by the men at 8pm

see you there!!
Thanks for reading
-Team VolleyHype

Weekend #2 vs GBV

Hey Everyone,
Wow it seems as though the first term is just flying by. We spent tons of time preparing for the season with a lot of open gyms in August and our trip to Korea and all of September/October and now all of a sudden we are 4 games into the regular season. I almost forgot about how the regular season works. You put about a week’s worth of preparation into your opponent while continuously working on things on our side of the net and then you have a duel on the weekend. With almost no time to think about what happened, what went well and reflect on the matches BAM its Monday again and we are getting ready for our next challenge.
As most of you probably know we played UofA this past weekend at War Memorial and had some decent games but are still searching for our first win. On Friday night we came out of the gates pretty fired up and ready to push against UofA. They have the number one rank in the country and have been a highly ranked team in Canada for as long as I can remember. The first set felt like we put all that aside, we came out and were just hungry for the ball on both offense and defense. After the first set win which surely shocked the bears they came out and won the next three sets. Some consistency issues on our side of the net plus lots of changes were being made again. From the match I think the team was starting to realize that if we come out and go after it, we can push any team in our league and if we grasp that consistently and get everyone going we can be a very powerful group.
Saturday was another chance for us to put that mentality to the test. Again we found ourselves fired up and ready to play right off the bat. We came out and won the first two sets, I definitely wouldn’t say with ease but we had a good demeanor on the court and we were making plays on a consistent basis. Credit to the bears who came back and ended up winning the match in 5 sets but certainly not without a battle. Even when we gave up some runs of 2-3 points we battled back and had great support from the all the changes that were being made again on our side of the net. Joe Cordonier finished the match for us as our right side and Robert Bennet came in to replace Milo Warren. The feel from the match was definitely positive. We again didn’t have our whole team going and had to make some unorthodox changes and tangoed with the top team in the country. We now sit at 0-4, which on paper is not a good record but our team has been growing each game and have been pushed hard by TWU and UofA and we have responded. Those are some of the top teams in the country as of right now and we know what it’s going to take to stay with them and how much harder we need to push every day in practice to surpass them.

We had some UNREAL fan support at our matches this weekend and thank you very much to those who came out or watched online and anybody out there who has our backs right now. We are still searching for our first W and we travel to Winnipeg this weekend to get it.
Thanks for reading

-Team VolleyHype

Opening Weekend

The Tbirds opened up their season at War Memorial on October 29th against the Trinity Western Spartans. The Tbirds knew it would be a tough match up as the Spartans were the defending national silver medalists going in, but nonetheless, the Tbirds were ready to play. The jacked war memorial faithful got their moneys worth as UBC surprised everyone with the freshest sleeveless swag in the conference. Some tbirds looked like they belonged on a football field and not a volleyball court (a slight hyperbole). From the get go the Spartans came out firing and UBC couldn’t find a way to push back. They were serving and passing at a high level, while the Tbirds failed to find a rhythm all night. Although the end result was a 3-0 loss, each set got better for the birds leaving some bright spots to look forward for the following night. Demijan Savija had a great night for the birds as he racked up 15 kills in the three short sets. Plagued by service errors and serve reception breakdowns at bad moments the t birds were never able to put any kind of pressure on TWU who strolled to their first win of the season.

Saturday brought a more balanced effort from the thunderbirds going into the match. The team had a bit more composure entering the match and wanted to really show UBC fans a better show. The birds took the first set after holding the lead for most of the set and then exchanging some late blows with TWU to come away bye the narrow margin of 25-23. The following three sets went to the Spartans although there was more flow to the UBC offense and defense. Serving was dramatically better than the previous night and it seemed like some of the nerves had settled. Although we lost the match and opened the season 0-2 there is lots to be gained from the weekend. New comers such as wing spikers Ben Chow and Milo Warren and Ian Perry to the setting position have experienced their first taste or CIS action.

Full Match recaps can be found at www.gothunderbirds.ca

Thanks again to all those who came out to the matches on Friday and Saturday. The support is greatly appreciated and the atmosphere created in the gym was phenomenal.

Next up for the Thunderbirds is the UofA golden bears on Nov 5/6th @ war memorial gym. First serve is at 8pm

thanks for reading
-Team VolleyHype

Battle with the Pack

Hello Thunderbird fans, friends and family

The team just finished a weekend series of exhibition matches with the TRU Wolfpack. This was our first taste of CIS action.

Our first match on Friday night was a particularly special one as it was the return of Ben Chow to Fleetwood Park secondary. Although this gym was not our "home gym" with Ben on our side we definitely had the crowds support. After somewhat of a back and forth affair we were able to come out on top in 5 sets. The game did have its ups and downs and was filled with line up changes. Offensively, we had a well balanced effort which continues to be one of the recurring themes with our group.Wing spikers Ben Chow and Milo Warren finished the match with a dozen kills while corrector Demijan Savija was close behind with 11 rally ending smashes. Joe Cordonier and Cary Brett were also extremely active spikers. Cary finished with 6 kills and joco finished had 7. Current UBC libero Ian Perry took his skills to the front row and ran the offense for the t-birds in the 4th and 5th sets. Perry maintained composure and looked comfortable as a setter and led the thunderbirds to their most convincing set wins. Many things can be taken from this match, both positive and negatives but our group knows we will need to find more consistency in order to stay successful.

On Saturday we returned to War Memorial gym for the second match of the series. With both teams looking to improve on their previous nights performance it was the Pack that showed it as they took the match 3-0. The energy coming from our side was low and TRU was able to execute offensively. Nathan shuck started on the rightside instead of Demijan Savija and Ian Perry took over the setting role in the 3rd set. It seemed as though we could never get the ball rolling and take control of the match. Our next meeting with TRU will not be til the end of our regular season when we travel to Kamloops for our final season series.

As a team we will need to continue to move forward and continuously improve throughout the next couple weeks. Our home opener is in two weeks time when we play the TWU spartans on october 29th and 30th.

Thanks for reading
-Team Volleyhype

HELLO UBC FANS!!!

Hello everyone,

It has been awhile since our last post but I assure you everything is going well in Vancouver. We have been training pretty hard for the last couple weeks and are finally starting to settle in to a good training routine since we have been back from Korea.

We have had a couple big changes within the team and for those of you who have been Thunderbird fans for around 5 years will surely remember this guy. Bones aka Andrew Bonner has joined our team as a player coach. For those who don't know about Bones I highly recommend trying to get your hands on some game tape of his and those who remember him, im sure your eyes light up just seeing his name. He is arguably the most intense and competitive player to ever play at UBC or even in the CIS and he brings a wide range of things to our team. The impact he has had on our team in his short time with us is great and he will continue to push us everyday.* I will try to elaborate on his impact in a later post.

The month of October is a super busy one for most CIS volleyball teams since it is the last month before the regular season starts and teams are going hard sometimes seven days a week with daily practices and weekend exhibition matches.

We will be battling against the TRU wolfpack on October 15th and 16th. The match on the 15th will take place at Fleetwood Park Seconday @ 7pm (7940 - 156th St. Surrey, B.C. This will be a "return home" match for young swoll aka Ben Chow and the event is being played to raise funds for their athletics programs. Tickets are 5$ for adults and 3$ for students. On the 16th the Thunderbirds will return to War Memorial to compete against TRU again @ 6pm.

Our home opener and regular season kicks off on October 29th vs. TWU. If anyone reading this our someone you know would be interested in attending that match please contact me. We are looking to get as many volleyball enthusiasts out to the match to support the UBC Men!

my e-mail is...blairb1@interchange.ubc.ca

Thanks for reading
-Team VolleyHype

T-Birds have returned

Hey everyone,
We have returned to Canada and have been back at UBC for the past few days. Many of us are struggling with the effects of the time change and have been waking up around 6am which is not bad thing as it gives us more time to catch up on the school we have missed. The team will enjoy a few more days rest and continue our pre season training come Monday.

In other volleyball news be sure to follow the Canadian Mens National team as they are one week away from competing in the 2010 World championships in Italy. They are currently traveling around Europe playing in various exhibition matches. You can follow along with updates and blog entries at www.volleyball.ca


thanks for reading
-Team VolleyHype

Korea Trip Update #3

The UBC T-birds continue their foreign expedition in Korea into early August. The thunderbirds were awarded a Sunday off for recovery to maintain both physical and mental intensity. The thunderbirds used this day to tour parts of Itaewon and Seoul. They managed to catch up on some forms of Korean street life. They strolled a marketplace-like neighborhood in Itaewon, not only enjoying local restaurants and shops but allowed themselves to browse the local street vendors as well. Many of the team members picked up some phenomenal swag and a plethora of different types of clothing and accessories. Satisfied, the birds took to a 5 story marketplace in Seoul. The marketplace featured not only local businesses, but larger known labels including Mizuno, Asics, Converse and Puma. Highlighting this trip included many players purchasing Mizuno high tops.

Fresh off the day's rest on Sunday, the birds went back to the court on Monday. Despite having the morning off practice, the birds used the time for a video session. They took to the court in a friendly Monday evening against Hanyang University. The birds were unable to take a set off the team but showed great promise in the last couple sets of the match. Strong performances were given from setter Ryan Zwarich and middle, Yari Kozel. Later into the match, Rex Fenton started experiencing abdominal problems which soon escalated into very serious abdominal pains. Immediately following the match, Rex had to be rushed to the local hospital which was located on campus. Trainer Cam Quan and Richard Schick stayed behind as the rest of the team returned to the hotel. After treatment, Rex quickly recovered, making it back to the hotel for later that evening.

Tuesday was a very memorable day. The thunderbirds started the morning with an AM practice in the main gym of SKK, preparing for their nighttime game. It was a short lived hour long serve and pass session which was aiming at simple adjustments before the night. Come game time, it was apparent the birds were ready. UBC and SKK both put on spectacular performances. After losing the first set, the Tbirds came back and took the next 2 making it a 2-1 game lead for the birds. Despite close 4th and 5th sets, the birds ended up losing a 5th set heartbreak. The was a feeling of mutual respect felt by both sides for the high caliber of play. Many birds had fantastic nights including the attacking prowess of Demijan Savija balanced with the dynamic force of Ben Chow at power. Chris Klassen had an effective setting game and was distributing the ball nicely.All three serve receivers passed relatively well for the match and the teams defensive effort within the five sets baffled the crowd. Up at the net Joe managed a number of blocks to high to count, many of which left turned heads by the sheer force at which they met the ground. Cary Brett maintained the intimidation at the net during his front row play as the Korean side started using more off speed shots.

The two teams shared photos after the match. Following the game, the teams met for a final team banquet. Speeches from coaches and administrators were met with multiple rounds of applause and the fine quality of the food ensured that the already intimate atmosphere thrived for the duration. Before departing, team members exchanged jerseys and hugs. The overall feeling of the clubs was based around the short built friendship which both teams are both eager to uphold.

The T-birds are now in the final stretch of their trip and will play a couple more matches against a university team as well as a professional squad.

Thanks for reading
-Team Volleyhype

Korea Trip update #2

Hey Everyone, we have spent the last couple days training in the morning and playing exhibition matches in the late afternoon. Here are the details.

After a few team practices at the SKK training facility, the T-birds played their first scrimmage against the SKK squad. We expected a tough opponent, and we got one. Their spin serving was way tougher than most of us are used to seeing and the angles of their hits were also something else. They passed extremely well and ran an efficient offense with a ton of sky high balls to the outside. Their hitters were carving around 3 man blocks often. Seeing that style of play definitely opened some eyes and the guys definitely learned something. On the Birds side, some good things were done. The line ups were always mixed and a lot of guys did some good things. Ian Perry and Blair Bann were passing well whenever they were in. Demijan and Nathan split time on the right side as well as Joe who came in a attacked well from the right side. Robert Bennett provided consistent attacking and passed well in spurts. Klassen and Ryan split time at the setter position and newcomer Klassen surprised the SKK squad with the THROW downs.Young Gun Ben Chow and Milo “Springs” Warren showed their explosive leaping ability, hitting the ball hard and super high, but both need more consistency. The SKK side took the first 4 sets quite easily but the T birds closed out strong and took the 5th set. Overall, the number one thing that you can take from a game like this, is seeing the level of focus and consistency. The SKK side rarely miss hit balls and balls that were out were out by inches. Although the T-birds had good spurts, the level of focus and consistency needs to rise from all aspects of the game, Serving, passing, setting, hitting etc.

Game day number two was against Kyunngi University. Their style of play was a bit different than what we saw against the SKK squad. Their outside balls were not as high and had more speed to them. Their outside hitters were once again finding the angles and hitting what the block gave them. We managed to get three blockers on a lot of broken play high balls and at times had success with some highlight reel hammer blocks by Joe and Bennett. However, the Kyunngi hitters tooled the UBC block a lot to the frustration of coach Schick who was really emphasizing pressing early and giving a shot and taking it a way in the last second. Blair Bann was playing at a really high level as usual matching the opponents big spin serves with multiple impressive dime outs but struggled at times with the challenging Korean serves.Although the Thunderbird service receive did let them down at times, there were flashes of consistent passing from the Birds that kept them in a few sets and had them at 21-21 in the 2nd set. In the end the Birds lost all 5 sets but matched the Kyunngi side at times with intensity and play. Robert Bennett played well again on the left side providing well rounded crafty attacking. Ben Chow was skying as usual going over top of the block at times but needs to work on consistency, which will come with getting in rhythm with the setters. Garrett “Pin” Lavalley, the true freshman came in, in the 5th set and had some nice high swings against solid 3 man blocks. Demijan started the match and Nate finished it. Both were swinging high well over top of the Korean blocks but at the same time getting tooled time after time by their left sides. PRESS early boys! Captain Joe as mentioned had some HAMMER blocks that may have touched the center line and although middle wasn’t set as much as coach Schick wanted, Cordonier did what he could with the volume he got. Overall, another good experience for the UBC squad.

The team will train again tomorrow in the AM and then have the afternoon off. We are going to watch the finals of the Korean summer professional league and then have a social evening with SKK. The group is again eager to hit the court since the more touches we get here the better. One thing we have noticed is the amount the Korean teams train. After our scrimmage with SKK last night and our match tonight both Korean squads immediately started training right after the matches ended. Who knows for how long.

A few days without game play await, stay tuned!

Thanks for readying
-Team VolleyHype

Korea Trip Update #1

Hello everyone,

Here is an update of the first couple days of our trip to South Korea.

Our trip started Monday morning at 9am as all the T-birds gathered at the Vancouver international airport for our 12pm direct flight to Korea. The 16 players

travelling to Korea include
Setters: Ryan Zwarich, Chris Klassen
Wing spikers: Demijan Savija, Nate Schuck, Robert Bennett, Ben Chow, Garrett Lavalley, Milo Warren, Rex Fenton, Tanner Kozak
Middle Blockers: Yari Kozel, Joe Cordonier, Jeff Ross, Cary Brett
Liberos: Blair Bann, Ian Perry

Everybody strolled in on time looking fresh in our new UBC golf shirts and other travel attire. With a lot of time to spare before our flight took off we all exchanged some Canadian dollars into Korean Won which works out to about 1$ Can = 1000 won. After a few hours of lounging around the airport and picking up some 12 hour flight essentials it was finally time to get going. The flight went by surprisingly fast since the Air Canada flight had the on demand televisions with an amazing selection of new movies and TV shows. We arrived safely in Seoul around 3:30pm Tuesday morning and headed on a bus to our hotel. By this time some guys were starting to pass out on the bus but the excitement of being in Korea kept many of us awake. Once we got to our hotel we were all pretty amazed. It’s called “Hotel Castle” and for a good reason. We explored the area of our hotel for about an hour after dinner. As a big group of guys who are pretty tall especially in this country so we do stand out quite a bit and are noticed by pretty much everyone walking around. Everybody started to crash pretty early including my roomie “young swol” aka Ben Chow and I since we wanted to be fully rested to start with a good first training session the next morning at 10am.
We woke up and had breakfast which was comprised of some Korean food and some western food. Nonetheless it was pretty good and we were off to our first session at SKK University. Our Itinerary for the day included a 10 am weight training session and then a 4pm practice. We got to the campus and it pretty much looked like a sports school. The volleyball, basketball and baseball team were all training and what I think was the soccer team was using the weight room. Our first practice we ended up sharing the weight room with some Korean soccer players. It was a pretty cool experience just watching what they would do in the gym in comparison to us. The main differences noticed was that many of the exercises they do involve using a partner who is actively involved. For example, a partner will add increased resistance or somehow add difficulty to the exercises. They also do pretty much everything with maximum speed and a lot of reps.
Our afternoon practice started off with lots of excitement but also some difficulties. Firstly, the gym is the hottest environment I think most of us have ever played in and you almost have to change your shirt after warm up because the amount of sweating that is going on. Also they use a different ball than we do in Canada so it will take some time to get used to. We trained for two and half hours but the time simply flew by and everybody is very eager to get back to SKK campus and start training again.
We go twice again tomorrow with an on court session at 10am and than an exhibition scrimmage with the SKK team. Stay tuned to find out how it goes!

Thanks for reading
-Team VolleyHype

Norceca Junior Championships game #1 post game analysis

For those of you who missed out on the opening match of the 2010 Norceca Junior Championships featuring UBC men's team libero Ian Perry, here is a a brief re cap.

Canada opened their NORCECA men’s junior volleyball championships with a 3-1 win over Guatemala on August 17th at the Gatineau Sports Center in Quebec. Guatemala was a short but scrappy and hardworking team that battled throughout the match, but it was evident Canada was the better team. After going up 2-0, Guatemala fought back and won the 3rd set and looked in control in the 4th backed by consistent attacking from their freak left side, Flores who was unstoppable all night. However, Canada showed heart and clawed back winning the final set 26-24 with some tough serving. UBC’s own Ian Perry played very well in his debut. He sparked the tight first set win with two highlight reel digs on Mr. Flores which were transitioned into points for Canada. Perry continued his great play throughout the whole match providing consistent passing, great court presence and a handful of international level digs. Shouts out to Nicholas Hoag. The young phenom was very impressive and led Canada’s balanced attack.

Tune in Aug 20th as Canada has now advanced to the semi finals!
Go get em boys!
http://ssncanada.ca/media/special_pages/volleyballcanada-live.html

Thanks for reading
-Team VolleyHype

Catch up with Ian Perry-Junior National Team Libero

Hello volleyball fans,
Team Volleyhype was fortunate enough to catch up with Abbotsford's very own Ian Perry who is a UBC athlete going into his second year with the Thunderbirds. Take a look at his experience training in Gatineau, QC were the Mens National training center is located.

Enjoy
-Team Volleyhype

This year they decided to select the junior national team from the provincial team national championship that was held in Toronto. They had a few individual practice sessions with each team to take a look at some select skills but for the most part the team was being selected from performance during the tournament. B.C ( my team) had an unfortunate injury with one of our top players and ended up a upsetting 5th place. With this seeding I certainly though the slim chances of making the team I had were diminished. Hearing my name announced on the official list almost stopped my heart, not only had I had the team I was also the only Libero that was chosen. With the 3 other CIS liberos at the tournament from others teams and my in experience at the position I was super excited but also a little nervous.

The team finally met up for the first time and had a 4 hour team bonding ride to ottawa where we met most of the guys for the first time.

We started training almost right away, usually training for 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night. The level of training is certainly the best part of being on the team. Even without the good coaching you cant help but get better having the best in the country around you.

As training continued for 3 weeks our team (the guys) went certainly from strangers a few weeks before to basically best friends. All the guys are sweet.

Another awesome highlight is being able to play at the new training centre in gatineau. Playing on the new taraflex floor is nice on the knees.

As the tournament grew closer we started practicing having some practice matches and drills against guys from the senior national team. At first this was terrifying for everyone having the best guys in the nation on the other side of the net.
That’s it for now; hopefully you guys can catch some of our games that are being webcasted on…
http://ssncanada.ca/media/special_pages/volleyballcanada-live.html

2 week open gym update.

By: Volleyhype blogger.

War memorial hosts players attempting to earn a spot on its varsity volleyball team slightly earlier this year as The T-birds volleyball team will conduct open gyms at the War Memorial starting in early august.

Two weeks have gone by for those who have arrived to UBC campus to participate in several open gyms to eliminate any rust that has gathered over the summer. Many new faces have joined the 12 players from last year’s season who have started playing with aim to earn a spot on the traveling roster to South Korea at the end of august and to join the Birds full time come September. Still some have not graced the group with their presence as Ian Perry is training with the junior national team and competing in the junior norcecas tournament. Also Milo Warren has yet to make an appearance on the hard court; both athletes are expected to be a part of the open sessions within the next week.

The first session commenced with a highly talented group eager to showcase what they have to Head Coach Richard Schick and newly appointed assistant coach Chris Densmore. Some athletes came to Vancouver looking like completely new players while some have not changed from our last memories of the past season. Certainly all athletes came fully rested and have been demonstrating excellent work ethic and a motivated attitude that is sure to produce some spectacular battles for court time.

So far the players who have been in the gym include…

Setters: Ryan Zwarich, Chris Klassen and Rex Fenton

Outside hitters: Nathan Schuck, Rob Gotch, Tanner Kozak, Robert Bennet, Demijan Savija, John Cordonier, Ben Chow, Garret Lavalley, Christian Herema.

Middle Blockers: Joe Cordonier, Jeff Ross, Yari Kozel, Cary Brett, Kyle Duperron.

Liberos: Blair Bann, Phillip Ngo

Some high school players who will grad in the Class of 2011 from Manitoba and Comox valley have also participated in the open gyms. Outside hitter Jared and Noah who were very impressive during their time at war memorial gym along with setter/outside Brad Gunter whose size as a setter at 6’7’’ ~215 lbs proves to be a much sought after quality. All three of these athletes are possible future birds and have what it takes to be strong performers.

This year the battle between the outsides is of particular interest. It seems that Nathan Schuck will be moving back to the right side after a season spent primarily practicing and did not suit up for competition on the left side last year. He has impressed in the past two weeks as he is in phenomenal shape and is looks like a more determined and hungry player on the court. He is chasing Demijan Savija who has spent the off season doing bar work and rehabbing his knees. After the past season spent dealing with injuries look for a healthy Savija to do some serious damage in Canada west this year. * For those who don’t know, bar work involves finding a playground and performing various body weight exercises to improve upper body strength.

On the left side, the over saturation of players has left Coach Schick with some huge decisions to make as all are performing well but still the questions remains who will be “the guy” as right now there is little separation between P1 and P6. Robert Bennett has impressed early on as he remains to be one of the craftiest left sides on the court. Tanner Kozak returns with his fundamentally sounds game and will be looked upon to step up and perform to his full abilities on a consistent basis. Tons of Raw talent fills the gym this year as new comer Garrett Lavalley has performed well in his first two weeks on point grey campus. With much to learn him and Ben Chow who is crowned this year’s top recruit will both be in the running for starting position come September. Rob Gotch, brother of former T-bird Standout Steve Gotch has joined the group in attempts to earn a spot on the t-bird roster. Still new to the game it appears his growth curve is exponential as his playing experience has been in slumber for the past several years and is now a 22 year old who is basically a freshman. Keep a watchful eye on this Okotoks, Alberta native as we have all witnessed what Gotchs can do. Through all this smoke we can’t forget John Cordonier who is still growing and very determined on the court and the fact he is a Cordonier offers the impression of impressive genetics, as well as Christian Hereema who has been deemed a “freak athlete”, and once his nerves settle will be a solid competitor. Chow, Lavalley and Hereema are this year’s true freshman and will provide a very strong supporting cast for a thunderbird team filled with CIS veterans.

The battle in the middle is almost as hot of a topic as the leftsides. Returning T-birds Joe Cordonier, Yari Kozel and Cary Brett are joined by newcomer Jeff Ross and returning to the middle after a season spent playing basically all positions is physical freak Kyle Duperron. As all are in good form the obvious two strongest are Joe and Kyle but the depth of the thunderbirds lies within the middle as all 5 players have a wealth of experience and are wanting to leave an impact on the league this season.

Phillip Ngo represents a young Vancouverite attempting to join the Thunderbirds team at the libero position. Three time Canada west libero of the year Blair Bann is back for his 5th and final season in the Blue and gold and Ian Perry who has recently earned a spot on the Junior national team look to be locks as the defensive specialists but Phillip brings youth, determination a ton of azn speed and depth to the position.

Finally the setters, the key to the entire system, last year’s starter Ryan Zwarich has continued his hard working ways and will be looked upon for leadership this year as it is also his 5th and final season of CIS eligibility. His set quality is not the question as he has buttery smooth hands and at 6’3’’ he brings a strong presence to the court. In the next couple weeks he will be looking to work on his athleticism and leave his mark on Canada West throughout the upcoming season. Chris Klassen who joins the birds after 3 years at Capilano University will be new to the CIS this year but has maintained his steady game play during the past two weeks and is a very versatile athlete. Look for him to work on his physicality over the next couple months and complicate the race to see who will quarterback the men’s volleyball team this upcoming season. Rex Fenton has just recently joined the camp and looks in good form. Last season he saw limited action behind Ryan Zwarich but the battle this year looks to be extremely spicy as Fenton enters his third year and surely will be hungry for playing time.

Still many questions need to be answered, who will continue to perform? And who will start performing at a higher level than anticipated? What will the combine reveal? Although no stock has been increased or decreased from physical testing scores, once the combine has taken place it should provide some support to coach Schick in regards to the tough decisions that need to be made. One thing is for sure that the culture of the team needs to change and once the group has been decided this process will slowly but surely begin. As the South Korea trip approaches’ training is surely to intensify as roughly 22 athletes will be competing for a spot on the 16 man roster traveling to South Korea and the honor of being a Thunderbird.

Stays tuned to next week’s article as we take an in depth look at some of the new faces and key performers of the Thunderbird crew.

Thanks for reading

-Team VolleyHype