Men’s volleyball making waves

As of Tuesday, November 3rd, the Redeemer Royals Men’s Volleyball Team was placed on the national stage and ranked 7th in the country by the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA). The ranking, which made history as Redeemer’s third ever national standing, was based on only the first two games of action. Adding to that résumé, the Royals have picked up two more wins against the Sheridan Bruins (3-2) and the St. Clair Saints (3-0) putting them atop the OCAA West standings and improving their record to 4-0.

After a disappointing playoff loss last year, the men seemed to have regrouped and gained ground this season. With fourth year hitters Ryan Talsma [Bowmanville, ON] and Brad Douwes [Hamilton, ON] firing on all cylinders in their final season, the Royals seem to have their eyes fixed on a medal this year at the OCAA Provincial Championships which will be played out right here on home court. A number of key freshmen have also been added to mix, including Aaron Tolkamp [Langley, BC] who has jumped in as the starting setter, with Paul L’Ecuyer [Cornwall, ON] moving to the left side and making quite an impact in his new position. Paul currently sits third on the team in points, points per game, and kills. Adding to this skill is a depth of contributing players that is perhaps the best that the men’s program has ever fielded in Redeemer history. Athletic Coordinator Peter Reid comments, “This is exciting! There’s a bit of a buzz around the Men’s Volleyball Team. Part of that is the 4-0 start we’ve seen and a part of that is the fact that we’re hosting the OCAA Volleyball Championships this year.”

With only four games under their belt, “we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here,” says Reid, “a lot can happen in a season”. While there is yet a long road ahead, the promise of the Royals this year cannot be overlooked. As usual, Ryan Talsma has regained his position as OCAA league leader in points per game, kills per game, and team leader in the offense department. What is unusual this year for Ryan is his new record as All-Time Career Points Leader at Redeemer. On Saturday afternoon, with the RUC gym packed, Ryan surpassed Dave Berghout’s point total of 670. Currently, there are 12 games remaining in the season, and if things continue for Talsma he has a chance at breaking the OCAA Career Points Record (he is 200 away).

Although they do play an exhibition game on Friday, the Royals now have some time off from league competition. In a few weeks they will play host to northern schools Canadore College and Nipissing University on November 27 and 28.

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