College showcases boys volleyball

Boys high school volleyball is in the spotlight tonight when Niagara College hosts its fourth annual Niagara Region Boys Volleyball Showcase at the Athletic Centre in Welland.

An all-star exhibition game that showcase the players to the fans and the venue to the players sees 39 student athletes from 18 high schools in the region split into teams coached by members of the Niagara Knights men’s volleyball team.

“This annual event is something that the entire regional volleyball community really looks forward to,” Knights head coach Nathan Groenveld said. “It’s important that volleyball gets an opportunity each year to shine in the spotlight, and our Knights program is proud to help facilitate that.”

Schools are invited to nominate players to compete in the event. If multiple players from one school end up participating, they are placed on opposing teams to add an additional level of friendly competition. Players are distributed randomly to Team Blue and Team White, reflecting the uniform colours at the region’s community college. The event serves as one quarter of the Niagara College Knights’ showcase series started in June 2014. The Niagara Knights’ soccer programs, led by Welland natives Frank DeChellis and Rob Lalama, have hosted four successful showcases of their own, while the Knights basketball showcase events made their debut in December of 2016.

The Niagara Knights women’s volleyball program has hosted the girls’ volleyball showcase every March since 2015.

The match will be broadcast live at goknights.ca/watchlive by the Niagara College broadcasting, radio, television, and film (BRTF) program. The broadcast will feature BRTF students providing play-by-play, colour commentary, and in-game interviews with participants.

For more information contact Groenveld at ngroenveld@niagaracollege.ca.

ALL-STARS GET CHANCE TO SHINE

Following are the rosters for the fourth annual Niagara Region Boys Volleyball Showcase taking place today at Niagara College Athletic Centre in Welland beginning at 6 p.m.:

A.N. Myer: Matthew Ferron, Stephan Legagneur, Kole Popat, Connor Vanderkuip

Beamsville: Matthew Collison, Alex Page

Blessed Trinity: Michael Levasseur, Bailey Stewart

Eden: Patrick Alvarez, Micah Niewets

E.L. Crossley: Matt Caverly, Vangel Matic, Dallas Melnick

Greater Fort Erie: Thomas RigasDiDomenico

Holy Cross: Jacob Fontaine, Anthony Perna

Jean Vanier: Dayton Follick, Andrew Sindall

Notre Dame: Jordan VanHerwynen Sir Winston Churchill: Dan Kessler, Adam Topolinsky Smithville Christian: Braydon Harrietha, Matthew MacLean

St. Francis: Will Spencer, Ethan Wildin

Saint Michael: Josia Esau, Ethan VanNatter

Saint Paul: Dylan DiFabio, Justin Levere

Stamford: Omesh Jayaweera, Forest Turpel

Thorold: Alex D’Elia, Tanner Vail Welland Centennial: Joel Coopman, Alexander Mrkalji