SAINTS KEEP MARCHING IN
St. Clair women's volleyball team adds three more recruits to help round out squad
While college sports might be shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, academic pursuits and graduations continue for many student-athletes.
That's why St. Clair College Saints women's volleyball head coach Jimmy El-turk was thrilled to add another three recruits to the program on Friday for the 2021-22 season.
“This is a big graduating year for us, unfortunately, and so there's a need at a lot of different positions,” El-turk said.
El-turk added Georgetown's Kate Williams, Hamilton's
Krista Nichol and Dunnville's Annastasia Droppert. The three join a trio of local recruits who signed on last month in Mikayla Stocks, Ashley Maleyko and Jade Thompson.
“It was hard to identify athletes,” El-turk said of recruiting during the pandemic. “The provincial championships in April were cancelled and that's usually when you see the Grade 11s (headed to Grade 12). There were no summer camps and no season, so you're relying on old videos and contacts.
“We were able to find three very talented and physical athletes from out of town. Anytime you're able to bring in really talented athletes from bigger markets and take them from other schools is really good.”
The 17-year-old Williams, who is a five-foot-nine setter, was familiar with El-turk from her time with Team Ontario.
“My experience with Jimmy at Team Ontario has been great,” Williams said. “I've learned a lot from him already and he has helped me improve my setting a lot.
“I'm really looking forward to playing for him and playing with one of the top college teams in the province.”
While recruiting has been tough for teams, it's also been a stressful experience for athletes looking for a post-secondary home.
“The pandemic definitely made it difficult because we couldn't view other schools in their entirety and it was hard to put together game footage for highlight reels,” the 17-year-old Nichol said. “St. Clair was my top choice because they really take care of their athletes and I got such a good feeling while watching last season's footage. It's rare to find schools in Canada that put money and time into athletics and I'm very happy to be attending a college that keeps it at such a high priority.”
At five-foot-11, El-turk said Nichol has the versatility to play at middle blocker or at outside hitter. She's a two-time Hamilton high school all-star and a threetime MVP for her Smash Raiders volleyball team and Westmount high school team.
“I wanted something new and St. Clair definitely gave me that,” Nichol said. “I'm moving three hours away from my hometown, playing with girls I've never met before and completely devoting the next few years to this school. I couldn't be more pumped for the challenge.”
An outside hitter, El-turk believes the five-foot-11 Droppert is just scratching the surface of her talent.
“She is an incredible athlete,” El-turk said. “A very big jumper and still new to the game. She's only been playing competitive for three years, but is very physical and can play left or right side.”
Droppert helped Westmount high school to the medal round at the OFSAA girls A championship in 2019 and 2020 and was named team MVP both seasons.
“I knew St. Clair was the school for me,” the 17-year-old Droppert said. “I did look at other schools, some closer to home and some in British Columbia, as well. It was a pretty tough decision to make because, obviously, we don't know what the fall of 2021 will look like and I wanted to make a solid decision that will benefit my future studies and athletics.
“I hope to learn more about the game and the sport.”