News Archives - 2011

Avs Battle Island Rivals

Trevor Crawley - Cranbrook Daily Townsman

The men and women's Avalanche volleyball teams of the College of the Rockies hosted the visiting Vancouver Island University Mariners over hte weekend with mixed results.

The men's team split their record, winning their Friday evening game 3-2 but dropped their following match 1-3 on Saturday.

Boomer's Game Day Review

The Av's just returned from their final road trip and what a trip it was!

Wednesday morning came bright and early and the Av's loaded onto the bus full of hopes and dreams that our trip to Vancouver would be uneventful. Of course, that was too much to hope for and whatever our team did to anger the bus gods came back to haunt us as the heating system decide to not work properly and with our continued bad luck it was really cold outside! Read Full Story

Justine Rundberg Named PACWEST Athlete of the Week

Justine Rundberg is a second year student athlete at College of the Rockies and is playing left side with the Av's this season. A native of Cranbrook, Rundberg played in her hometown this past weekend.

Friday evenings match was a tough battle against Douglas College. Rundberg had 4 digs, 9 kills and 2 aces to keep the team close but were not able to pull out a win. COTR would lose 3-1 with set scores of 25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 25-20.

On Saturday, Rundberg tallied 16 kills, 5 digs and 1 ace to lead her team to a 3-1 win over Douglas (25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 25-23). “Justine was a leader on the court and really stepped up her game on Saturday and took control of the court.”

The Av Report

The Av's hosted a rematch against the Camosun College Chargers and the UFV Cascades over the past two weekends. The home opener against the Chargers was action packed and the Av's played to a full house! The women battled hard against the Chargers on Friday night but came up short losing 1 - 3 (23-25, 25-23, 19-25, 21-25). Stefanie Schoenberger and Justine Rundberg had 23 kills, 12 digs and 2 blocks between them and Julie Sternig contributed with 3 serving aces! Undeterred the ladies again put up a fight on Saturday night but couldn't put the Chargers away losing again 1 - 3 (13-25, 16-25, 25-17, 23-25). Jenna Swetlikoff was huge at the net putting up 6 blocks, while Paige Fredrickson kept the ball in play with 10 digs.

The men were looking forward to this rematch against the Chargers and came out to play for the full house. The men won the Friday night match 3 - 2 (25-20, 21-25, 14-25, 25-20, 15-13) to the delight of the crowd. Jeremias Guenter had 12 kills, 7 digs and 2 aces for the game and Scott Kemperman had 10 kills and 5 digs. For the Saturday match the Av's were ready to play and dispatched the Chargers in 4 sets, winning 3 - 1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-23, 25-16). Scott Kemperman had a huge match posting 15 kills, 4 aces, 2 blcks and 2 digs.

The Av's second weekend of home play saw the UFV Cascades roll into town. The women put up quite the fight for both matches but were unable to pull out the win losing 1-3 both days. Stefanie Schoenberger had a team high 14 kills, 12 digs and 1 ace for the weekend while Marlee Kanigan and Junstine Rundberg posted 12 kills each.

The men's team were eager to take on the Cascades and came oh so close but couldn't pull on the win on the Friday evening losing 2- 3 (25-19, 22-25, 25-20, 16-25, 14-16). Jeremias Guenter had 17 kills and Kellan Ward had 8 digs for the evening. On Saturday the Av's took the previous evenings loss to heart and made quick work of the Cascades winning 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 26-24). Scott Kemperman, Jeremias Guenter and Taylor Verboom combined for 24 kills, 7 digs and 8 blocks. An outstanding performance from the Av's.

The Long Trip...

The Avalanche teams set out on an epic trip to Vancouver Island to take on the Camosun Chargers and the VIU Mariners in a 4 match extended weekend.

First up was the Camosun Chargers on Thursday and Friday. Both teams put up a good effort but fell short losing 0-3 both nights. The men's team was without setters, Linford Bennett and Drew Hamilton due to injury and women were missing 1st year athlete Loni Kanigan. Stefanie Schoenberger and Brendan Visser posted 20 kills each against Camosun.

Saturday and Sunday saw the Av's face the VIU Mariners and the first and longest road trip was taking it's toll on the teams. The Mariners defeated the women 0-3 both nights, the ladies never gave up and posted a 22-25 score in the last match on Sunday. Both Stefanie Schoenberger and Justine Rundberg had 8 kills. The men struggled to find their groove and showed a spark in the 3rd set of the Saturday match with a 25-22 win but went on to lose 1 - 3 on Saturday. Jeremias Guenter had 15 kills against the Mariners

The teams have a much needed break this weekend and are back on the road for games against Columbia Bible College Bearcats and University of the Fraser Valley Cascades on October 28 - 30.

Av's Dominant Against Lethbridge

The COTR Men’s Avalanche started off the season with an exhibition match against Lethbridge College Kodiaks on Sept 23^rd in Fernie, BC. The Avs started very strong taking the first set 25-19 with some effective blocking and excellent defensive transition. Lethbridge rebounded in the second set with a 25-21 win as the Avalanche serve receive broke down followed by a number of hitting errors. In the 3^rd set the Avs took complete control winning set 25-23 and then finished off with a decisive 4^th set winning 25-15. “It was a great way to start off the season. We had a chance to get all of our players into the match and all of them took advantage of the opportunity they were given. We will need to have depth this year with our tough travel schedule and this was a good sign of things to come” commented Coach Steve Kamps.

Match Scores: 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 25-15

Avalanche sign Australian Linford Bennett

College of the Rockies’ International Department and Avalanche Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Steve Kamps are pleased to announce the signing of first year setter Linford Bennett from Melbourne, Australia. Bennett is the first international student from Australia in the history of the Avalanche Men’s team.

Bennett trained out of the Greater Melbourne Volleyball Academy (GMVA), one of the leading volleyball academies in Australia. The GMVA has a truly all-star coaching line up, including Coach Luke Campbell who was a member of the Australian National team from 1997-2009.

Campbell speaks highly of the Av’s newest recruit. “Linford is a tireless worker who takes feedback very well and will work to implement it into his game,” said Campbell. “In the past two years he has chosen setting as his number one position, which is really paying off for him. He is also a solid blocker and has a variety of serves.”

“Linford will add both experience and leadership to the Avalanche this season,” added Head Coach Kamps. “With 24 league matches this year, six more than last year, we’ll need to have tremendous depth in every position. Linford will help us achieve that. He also will have a fantastic opportunity to continue his volleyball development at College of the Rockies while studying Kinesiology – Exercise Science. “

Bennett’s accomplishments include an Australian National Championship in 2006 and most recently he was named the MVP of his U/21 team, leading them to a bronze medal at the 2011 Australian Junior Volleyball Championships.

Dolman Brothers Sign

Head Coach Steve Kamps is thrilled to have the Dolman brothers in the Avalanche line up this fall. Nick Dolman will return to the Avalanche and will be competing for a starting libero position. Nick’s brother Mike has also signed with the Avs and will bring maturity, experience, and size to the squad.

Mike Dolman (6'4", Prince George B.C.) graduated from Duchess Park High School in 2006 and recently graduated from UNBC this Spring with a Bachelor's of Commerce. Mike had a successful high school career that culminated with a try out for Team BC. At the college level, he played for the CNC Kodiaks for 2 seasons. During this time, Mike was devastating from the service line, sitting atop the men's leader board for aces before a knee injury caused him to end his second season early. For the next three years, he took a break from competing to focus on his degree and coaching at his former high school. Mike is very excited to return to the game and hopes his energy, experience and leadership will drive COTR deep into the post season.

Avalanche Sign Two Red Deer Athletes

Men’s Avalanche Coach Steve Kamps is pleased to announce the signing of two athletes from Red Deer, Alberta. Joining the Avs this fall will be 6’2” setter Drew Hamilton and 6’1 left side hitter Neil Brinker. They will be graduating from Hunting Hills High School where they finished 8th in the Province. Both athletes have been well developed under Hunting Hills head coach Trevor Pikkert.

With the Avs losing both setters from last years squad, Drew will have a fantastic opportunity to quarter back the veteran Avs this fall. “Drew is a tremendous athlete and one of the best kept secrets in volleyball as he did not play club volleyball this spring” commented coach Kamps. Drew has excelled in many sports including the Red Deer Midget AAA Braves (Baseball), Hunting Hills High School Senior badminton, basketball, and volleyball. He has also received numerous MVP awards and academic honours. Drew will be taking the Computer Web Specialist Program and hope to become an architectural designer.

Neil Brinker will bring remarkable versatility to the Avs with experience at all positions. Neil was a starting left side for the RDC Kings U18 club team that finished 3rd in the Alberta Provincials. “Neil will bring strong work ethic, leadership, and perseverance to the floor each and every day. He is the kind of athlete that everyone wants to have on their team.” said Kamps. Neil is planning on taking the Education Degree program at COTR and aspires to become a teacher and coach.

Avalanche sign new recruits

Steve Kamps is please to welcome Kieran Read (Okotoks, AB) and Garret Cassels (Winnipeg, MB) to the Avalanche Mens team.

Kieran Read, a member of the Canuck Stuff Volleyball Club in Calgary, Alberta will bring a wealth of experience and leadership to the Avs. Coach Steve Kamps continues to maintain his strong relationship with the Canuck Stuff program. “After my playing career was over at the University of Calgary I had an opportunity to train and compete with the Canuck Stuff coaches. I have the utmost respect for this program and the coaches. An athlete moving through the Canuck program has developed all aspects of their game. I am excited to work with Kieran next year as I think he has tremendous potential. He is a well rounded player with excellent ball control skills” said Kamps. Kieran will be taking first year science courses with the career ambition of becoming an engineer.

Garret Cassels will come to COTR with an impressive resume that includes two Manitoba high school Provincial Championships with Dakota Collegiate. He was also a member of Team Manitoba in 2008 and 2009.

Avalanche head coach Steve Kamps says that he is “a gifted athlete that can play a multitude of positions on the team.” Garret is currently a member of the Strike Volleyball club who have the # 1 rank heading into the 2011 National Championships. Garret will be entering the pre-apprentice carpentry program at the College of the Rockies.

Avalanche Volleyball Welcomes New Women's Coach

College of the Rockies is please to welcome Agata Bendkowska as the new Avalanche Women's Volleyball coach. "I am excited to welcome Agata to the Avalanche family and am looking forward to the upcoming season" said Cori Andrichuk, Manager of Campus Life and Athletics

Agata is no stranger to Avalanche Volleyball as she has held the position of Assistant coach for the women's program for the past 2 seasons and was a past member of the Avalanche team. Agata's passion for volleyball was very evident during her interview and with her skill as a past professional player from Poland (First Division, Siarka Tarnobrzeg) and her commitment to developing Avalanche volleyball she was the clear choice.

Agata is excited to bring her passion, skill and experiences to College of the Rockies as the head coach and is looking forward to developing a successful women's program in the years to come.

Head Coach Lisa Ramsey steps down

College of the Rockies Women’s Volleyball head coach, Lisa Ramsey, has decided to make the 2010-2011 volleyball season her last.

Lisa initially joined the Avalanche program as a student-athlete and competed as a member of the women’s volleyball team for 3 years during which time she was the recipient of the Most Valuable Player award. Upon completing her schooling at College of the Rockies, Lisa continued to contribute to the Avalanche program as a team trainer and assistant coach. In 2007 Lisa was named Head Coach of the Women’s Volleyball program and has held this position for 4 seasons.

Ramsey’s decision to step away from the head coaching position at College of the Rockies was a difficult one as she has very much enjoyed the time she has spent coaching the Avalanche women’s teams.

“Lisa has invested a significant amount of time to Avalanche Athletics, both as an athlete and a coach and we will miss her dedication. We wish her all the best in her future coaching endeavours,” said Cori Andrichuk, Manager of Athletics and Campus Life.

BCCAA Provincial Championship Update

The Av's(ranked 5th) stepped on to the court determined to put on a show taking on the 4th ranked Mariners and that they did. The 'cardiac kids" came to play and took the first set off the Mariners 25-22. After changing ends the Avs continued their charge and demolished the Mariners in the second set 25-17. Back on the court for Set 3 it looked like the Avs were on a role but the Mariners weren't going to give in easily and came back from 6 points down to beat the Avs 22-25.

From there it was a back and forth game with the Avs taking the lead and the Mariners coming back time and time again to win the 4th Set 22-25. It was a heartbreak for the Avalanche as they dropped the 5th and final set 12-15 to lose to the Mariners.

Jay Guenter lead the Avs with 16 kills and was followed closely by Brady Atwood who had 11 kills and Cody Cuthill with 12. Taylor Verboom was strong once again at the net with 6 blocks.

For more Avalanche News see News Archive 2010