Vancouver/Fraser Valley – It’s yet another accolade this season for Gabrielle Attieh of the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades as she has been named the most valuable player of the year in U SPORTS women’s volleyball. The announcement was made on Thursday night at the All-Canadian Awards Reception at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver, the host city of the 2023 U SPORTS Women’s Volleyball Championship, presented by Mikasa.
Also acknowledged as a First-Team All-Canadian, Attieh becomes the first Cascades volleyball player to earn a U SPORTS national player of the year award.
“I’m truly honoured to be this year’s recipient,” Attieh addressed the reception. “This room is full of deserving women who are truly outstanding and talented at the sport, and I’m thankful to be here amongst you. This success is not mine alone. I want to thank my family who has always supported me, and my loving husband who is my biggest encourager. And also my teammates this season who stayed connected and uplifting to create an environment where I was able to thrive and play free.”
“I would also like to thank my coach Janelle [Rozema] for allowing me and my team to grow and for her to foster an environment that allows her athletes to learn freely. I’m inspired by her heart for empowering women in sport, and I look forward to seeing the Cascades program continue to flourish under her leadership.”
Attieh led the nation with 404 kills and 458.5 points during the 2022-23 regular season while becoming just the fifth player in Canada West history to reach the 400-kill mark in a single season. She led Canada West in kills per set with 4.34 and points per set with 4.9 while also showing her defensive prowess by finishing seventh in the conference with 292 digs.
After coming to a young Cascades’ program with three years of previous U SPORTS volleyball experience as a middle, Attieh has quickly established herself as one of the nation’s premier players on the left side. She notched at least 20 kills on seven occasions during the regular season, including a season-high 22 kills on four occasions.
Over her Canada West career, Attieh has amassed an impressive 901 kills, 1117.5 points, and 112 aces.
Hailing from Surrey, BC, the fourth-year player started all 24 regular season matches for the UFV Cascades in 2022-23, earning U SPORTS Athlete of the Week twice and Canada West Player of the Week once. After joining the UFV program in 2022-23 for their second season of U SPORTS competition, Attieh became the first UFV volleyball player to be named Canada West Player of the Year this season.
