Seawolves crack national rankings
Published Saturday November 28th, 2009
Volleyball: UNBSJ women's team hits No. 10 in Canadian Colleges Association poll
SAINT JOHN - It's not often an infusion of rookies has an immediate impact on a team, but Nadine Savoie said that's exactly what happened to the University of New Brunswick Saint John women's volleyball squad.
"With the new girls that we have this year, there's just more passion on the team," Savoie said. "Everybody's goal is to go to nationals this year, so we're all working very hard."
According to Canadian Colleges Athletic Association rankings released Tuesday, the Seawolves are well on track to achieving its goal. For the first time in the program's history, Saint John is ranked 10th in the country for women's volleyball.
"The thing I'm most impressed with is our focus," head coach Keith Raynes said. "It didn't matter who we were playing or what the score was, our girls were playing like it was 20-20. It's a mindset."
The attitude has led the Seawolves to a perfect 7-0 record for first place in the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association loop. They play their final game of the fall term today against the Nova Scotia Agricultural College at 6 p.m. in Saint John. Both units are back on the court Sunday for a noon match.
The Seawolves starting line includes four players in their first or second year, a slate of high-calibre athletes recruited by the club from across the province and country.
Savoie said playing-time hasn't been an issue between rookies and veterans because the players have bonded on and off the court.
"It helps some of the players who aren't on the court accept the girls who are starters because we've bonded so well and become so close. We don't just see the team as six players, we see the team as 11 players," the third-year middle from Ste-Anne-de-Kent said.
Team captain Katie McKeown said this is by far the most motivated and successful unit she's played with during her four years with the Seawolves.
The Plaster Rock native isn't worried the national ranking and perfect record will make them overconfident, though.
"We never had (this much success) before, so I think we all know that we still have to push ourselves. We get excited, but we remind ourselves that we have to stay level-headed and continue to fight for it," McKeown said.
Raynes couldn't agree more.
"To me, it's like adding fuel to the fire with these girls. They're excited and they'd like to keep it going," he said.
The Seawolves will host the Atlantic Conference final this year and are waiting to get the nod from the CCAA on their bid to host the national championships in 2011.
Raynes is hoping to break onto the national scene this season so the girls have already been exposed to the high-calibre action if they end up hosting the tournament next year.
Savoie, who last week was named the ACAA athlete of the week, said going to nationals is also a matter of pride for the relatively small university club.
"We've got to prove that there's some talent out here and it's not just in the big cities," she said. "It's really important to keep us on the map in volleyball."
Meanwhile, the men's volleyball team finished the fall term last weekend with a win over St. Thomas University. The Seawolves carry their 5-0 record into the winter session, which resumes Jan. 9 with a 3 p.m. game in Fredericton against the Tommies.
In Seawolves hoops action, the men's basketball team are looking for their fourth straight win in Truro today as they face the Nova Scotia Agricultural College at 4 p.m.
It's the Seawolves (3-4) final game of the fall ACAA term.
The women's side (1-5) are also in Truro today to face NSAC at 2 p.m. for their final game of the term.
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