Women’s volleyball players recognized in OUA East division awards
It’s been difficult to report on the Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team this year without raving about the English twins’ performances on the court. It was made official on Feb. 19 that the two sisters are the best in the province after the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) recognized Myriam English as the most valuable player in the east division, and awarded first all-star team spots to both Myriam and Kelsie English and an all-star rookie team spot to Kaly Soro.
Fourth-year social science student Myriam English has had an outstanding season in volleyball. She led the overall division in points per set with a 4.75 average, the East division with 253 kills, and the entire nation with her 0.64 service aces per set. But Myriam has done more than just produce statistical prowess, as she’s played an essential leadership role as a senior player on the team.
“It is always a great thing for our players to receive some high praise from our conference by way of all-star nominations,” said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. “This year, Myriam and Kelsie have been just a treat to coach and watch from start to finish. We are all very proud of them and excited for their chance to lead us to their fourth final four in a row.”
The English twins both received first team all-stars awards from the OUA. Fourth-year social science student Kelsie finished second in the OUA for points per set with an average of 4.12, just behind her sister. Although they both excel at offence, their style of play varies a little and where Kelsie falls narrowly behind in points per set, she makes up for in excellent blocks and digs. The duo is a threat to even the strongest of teams in the nation, and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Despite the addition of many rookies, including a few on the starting roster, the team hasn’t lost momentum this year. First-year health science student Kaly Soro exemplifies that smooth transition. She’s carried around a solid 1.31 kills and 1.52 digs per set all season in her 52 on-court appearances, making her a solid prospect to carry forward the top-four momentum the team has built up over the years.
“Kaly has certainly come along all season long, to the point where she is now factoring in quite strongly in our starting rotation of players,” said Woods. “We brought Kaly into our program thinking that she could help replace some of our outgoing talent that got us to the top four in Canada and she has not disappointed us.”
The next question on everyone’s mind is whether the girls will place top four at the Canadian Interuniversity Sports championships — or better yet, take the title — between Feb. 28 and March 2.
